Nakuru to immortalize Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai with statue in Nyayo Gardens

Nobel Laureate the late Wangari Maathai will be immortalized in a statue at Nyayo Gardens, Nakuru County.

Governor Lee Kinyanjui announced the plans on Wednesday when he laid the foundation stone for the project on site.

The county administration has embarked on a Sh20 million rehabilitation project of the park with the bronze statue of the late Prof. Maathai as one of the main attractions.

Governor Kinyanjui noted that the park had deteriorated into a state of disuse and inaccessibility hence the face lift.

Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui during the ground-breaking ceremony at Nyayo Gardens Pulse Live Kenya

"The refurbishment of the town's premier park will convert it into a modern Urban park befitting our soon to be acquired city status.

"When we started this project, some said it was not a priority but environmental matters are always a priority for us," he stated.

Wangari Maathai statue in the US

The other known statue of Prof. Maathai is located in Kansas, United States that was erected by the Sisters of Mount St Scholastica Monastery and the Benedictine College.

Prof. Maathai's daughter Wanjira worked together with the sisters and the sculptor Bill Hopen to develop the statue and it was unveiled in 2016.

There are two schools also named after the Nobel Laureate, Wangari Maathai Community School in Rhode Island, US and Ecole Wangari Maathai which is a public school in France.