Uhuru Park Resistance

In 1989, the Kenyan government announced plans to build a sixty-two-story headquarters for the Kenya Times Media Trust in Uhuru Park, Nairobi's largest public green space. The complex would have included offices for the ruling party's newspaper, commercial space, a four-story statue of President Daniel arap Moi, and parking for two thousand cars. Wangari Maathai organized opposition, writing letters, holding press conferences, and filing lawsuits. She was vilified in Parliament as "a mad woman" and "a threat to the order and security of the country." President Moi publicly suggested that proper African women should respect male authority and remain silent. Maathai did not remain silent. She continued planting trees in the park and mobilizing international pressure. In 1992, international investors withdrew funding amid the controversy, and the project was abandoned. The park survived, and Maathai's resistance became a demonstration that seemingly immovable government power could be challenged by organized citizens.