Nelson Havi protests the cutting of trees along State House Road

Former Law Society of Kenya president Nelson Havi has voiced his concerns over the felling of trees along Nairobi’s State House Road. Havi, a candidate for the Westlands parliamentary seat in 2027, posted a video on social media platform X, purportedly showing the fallen trees. However, the authenticity of the footage’s location and timing remains unverified.

Havi questioned the necessity of cutting down 50-year-old ornamental trees to widen the road, which he noted has relatively low traffic. The politician accused the government of prioritizing road expansion over the preservation of mature trees. He also commented on the government's recent tree-planting initiative, asking if the road projects were truly necessary when they had pledged to plant 15 billion trees.

Havi also referenced Deputy President Kithure Kindiki’s warning to a road contractor over delayed work, stating that there was no need for such destructive road constructions. Havi’s protest came in the wake of President William Ruto’s Mazingira Day event in Endebess, Trans Nzoia County. Ruto thanked Kenyans for participating in the day’s tree-planting activities, which aimed to plant 5.3 million trees in commemoration of the event.

Ruto urged continued participation in the program, which targets planting 15 billion trees by 2032 to address climate change and restore degraded land. The criticism of tree cutting along State House Road is not new; in September, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja had voiced his concerns about the removal of mature trees, stating that such work required county approval and proper justification.

Havi’s latest remarks further raise questions about how road expansion plans balance the need for infrastructure development with the protection of existing urban trees.