The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has announced plans to move the Nairobi Animal Orphanage from Nairobi National Park to a new 89-hectare site opposite Bomas of Kenya. KWS said the relocation forms part of a wider expansion of its wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facilities.
For decades, the orphanage has operated within the park and continues to serve as one of Kenya’s most visited centers for conservation education. However, KWS noted that rising demand for wildlife rescue and care now overwhelms a facility built for earlier operational needs.
KWS added that the orphanage attracts as many as 17,000 visitors during peak periods, which causes congestion and stretches its resources. It said the current site no longer offers enough room for modern wildlife rehabilitation and management activities.
KWS said the new facility will sit along Langata Road and will provide more than twenty times the space available at the current site. The agency expects the site’s proximity to Nairobi National Park and nearby ecosystems to strengthen connections to natural habitats while improving how the facility manages visitors.
KWS said it based the relocation on scientific, environmental, and operational assessments. The agency added that it will design the new facility to meet international animal welfare and conservation standards.
What the expanded orphanage will include
According to KWS, the upgraded orphanage will feature larger animal enclosures, a fully equipped veterinary unit, a wildlife hospital with surgical capabilities, and quarantine facilities. It will also include nurseries for young animals and dedicated areas for rewilding programs.
The agency said the plans align with standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). KWS estimated that building and running the new facility will create up to 1,000 direct jobs for young Kenyans, alongside additional opportunities for service providers.
KWS said the orphanage will handle more than 20,000 animals and will leave room for future expansion. It said the move supports broader efforts to strengthen Kenya’s wildlife management infrastructure as human-wildlife conflict rises and habitat loss and climate-related pressures intensify.
The Wldlife Service said the expanded facility will bolster wildlife conservation, education and eco-tourism, while improving the country’s capacity to rescue and rehabilitate animals.
