Which national park is Kenya's oldest, established in 1946 just outside Nairobi?

Kenya’s oldest national park, established in 1946 just outside Nairobi, is Nairobi National Park.

The park was officially opened in 1946, making it Kenya’s first national park. It lies roughly 7 kilometres south of central Nairobi and covers about 117 square kilometres. Its unusual setting places savanna wildlife beside one of Africa’s major cities.

Conservationist Mervyn Cowie campaigned for a Kenyan national-park system after returning to Nairobi in 1932 and witnessing the decline of wildlife on the Athi plains. Before national-park status, the area formed part of the Southern Game Reserve, where grazing, dumping and other activities were still permitted. Cowie later became the park’s first director.

Nairobi National Park is fenced on three sides, while its southern boundary remains open to allow wildlife movement toward the Kitengela plains. Its proximity to Nairobi is both its signature feature and a major conservation challenge, with development, pollution, livestock pressure and human-wildlife conflict affecting the park.