Kilifi Residents to Ruto: Relocate Affordable Housing Project from Watamu Public Park
The residents were keen to clarify that they are not opposed to the affordable housing project itself, but to its proposed location
By : Mweru Mbugua
Residents, investors and environmentalists in Watamu, Kilifi County, have urged President William Ruto to relocate a proposed affordable housing project from Watamu Public Park, saying the plan threatens the environment and a vital community space
The residents were keen to clarify that they are not opposed to the affordable housing project itself, but to its proposed location
“We are not opposed to the affordable housing project in Watamu. What we are opposed to is the destruction of Watamu Park unnecessarily,” they said
They warned that putting up housing units in the public park would damage the local ecosystem and deny residents and visitors access to one of the area’s key recreational and environmental assets
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The group noted that the park plays an important role in conservation, tourism and community life
While expressing support for the government’s affordable housing agenda, the residents appealed for the project to be relocated to alternative land, arguing that development should not come at the cost of environmental protection and public spaces
