Studying at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (formerly Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute) wasn't just an academic journey for me; it was the foundation that shaped who I am today, but the story doesn't start there. I fell in love with wildlife at a very young age when I used to visit the Nairobi Museum on Sundays, courtesy of my aunt, Dr. Jane Njenga. I would watch the African rock python  glide in an enclosed glass cage, its head at the far end and its tail on the glass, and it was so fascinating. I would long for Sundays to see the snakes again; my fascination didn't stop there.

The Mamba Village followed, and the little girl in me knew that I wanted a career around wildlife and I did precisely that. Wild animals are mesmerizing from how they know what plants and tree barks to eat when they are sick, to communicating their leadership styles. Some interesting facts are that lions practice infanticide, elephants bury and mourn the dead, female hyenas have a reproductive system that resembles that of a male, fascinating, I know, right? I am so passionate about the multifaceted aspects of wildlife.

I have visited Nairobi National Park several times from a young age to recently this year. A fascinating fact about this park is that it is home to the world's unique wildlife species, and it's the only national park located in the heart of a capital city, if not in the world, then in Africa. Nairobi National Park has reduced in size, and it has become a stressed ecosystem (a stressed ecosystem is one that's struggling to function properly because of pressures like pollution, climate change, or habitat destruction) where climate change is now clearly affecting animal behaviour, movements, and survival.

Over the last few years I've seen and read the same pattern: more extreme rains and floods, longer dry spells, and fragmention from encroachment from neighbouring towns due to increase in human population, the construction of the standard gauge rail (SGR) that still pains my heart as a conservationist as it has disrupted wildlife movements, created noise and air pollution and also the due to the growth of Nairobi city as well.

In recent years, Nairobi National Park has faced unpredictable weather patterns marked by intense rainfall, Heavy rains and flash floods (notably the April–May 2024 events), and prolonged dry spells. Heavy rains have led to flooding that submerges grazing grounds for browser herbivores, blocks wildlife corridors as some areas are impassable, and displaces herbivore species such as zebras, antelopes, and warthogs. In contrast, prolonged droughts have led to the drying up of water holes and vegetation, forcing wildlife to migrate in search of food and water, resulting in significant human-wildlife conflict. These changes in water and food availability are already altering behaviour: predators (lions, hyenas) and herbivores are moving into human-populated areas, raising human-wildlife interactions. The fear among people living in these areas, as well as hostility from the community, is growing as this human-wildlife interaction becomes too rampant. Additionally, the compensation process from the Kenya Wildlife Service takes a very long time, so taking matters into their own hands sounds more reasonable at the moment. Recent reporting shows lions have been cited in residential areas, especially around the Kitengela area, where they have been reported to be attacking and killing people's dogs in fenced homes. They jump over fenced homes to attack these dogs as well as livestock, because they are easy prey. Hyena attacks have also been reported, as well as elephant attacks.

Pollution of rivers in Nairobi National Park, which happens when floods wash industrial pollutants and other pollutants into rivers, also soil erosion, which ends up dumping all the soil into rivers, resulting in sedimentation, forcing wildlife to go further distances in search of clean water, thus increasing their stress levels of both herbivore and predator species.

In conclusion, I would recommend the strict protection of wildlife corridors, as they are used during migration. I would also like to commend the 2020 Kenyan government presidential directive, the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, and the Kenya Wildlife Service, with support from NGOs, for launching the plastic-free nature initiative in parks. It has been particularly useful in controlling non-biodegradable materials in the park, as well as in the biological control of invasive species such as Prosopis juliflora and Lantana camara, thereby allowing native plant species to thrive better and increasing vegetation cover.

Collaborating with the neighbouring community, building rapport, and helping them understand the importance of wildlife involves introducing concepts such as predator-proof bomas to keep carnivores away from their livestock, beekeeping to deter elephants, and installing more electric fences in Nairobi National Park to prevent wildlife from leaving the park. Nairobi National Park should also find a way to deal with problem animals that keep causing chaos and havoc in residential areas.

But all in all, I am proud to be Kenyan, proud to have been born in a beautiful part of the world that boasts unique wildlife species, and I want to continue advancing my expertise within this field. If you want to learn more about the work happening in Nairobi National Park and across Kenya, I'm always happy to share what I know because conservation starts with curiosity.