Sports and Culture Committee Inspects Uhuru Gardens National Monument and Meseum Facility
In a significant stride towards preserving and protecting Kenya’s rich cultural heritage, the National Assembly’s Sports and Culture Committee carried out an inspection visit to the Uhuru Gardens National Monument and Museums Facility situated along Lang’ata Road in Nairobi.
The visit is in line with the Committee’s efforts of ensuring that Kenya accedes to the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
Led by the chairperson Hon. Daniel Wanyama (Webuye West), the Committee engaged in an evaluation of the facility’s readiness to accommodate repatriated artefacts, contingent upon the presentation of the Committee’s comprehensive report.
Notably, this visit follows a series of productive consultations with several state departments among them the Ministry of Defence where the Cabinet Secretary pledged support for the accession process, reinforcing the Ministry’s preparedness to facilitate the initiative.
The legislators were guided by Brigadier Oswald Opiyo, the Director of the Uhuru Gardens, through an immersive journey through the facility’s various galleries sprawled across a 68-acre parcel of land. The collaborative project has brought together 47 distinct Ministerial Departments and Agencies (MDAs), converging to curate an exceptional exhibition celebrating our nation’s historical and cultural heritage.
In his address to the MDA’s present, the Committee Chairperson gave assurances that the Committee was fully behind Kenya’s accession to the accession to UNESCO convention treaty.
“We as a committee have done what is needed in terms of public participation. We shall table our report before the floor of the house and once the house debates and approves it, we shall be free to collect what rightfully belongs to us from Museums out there,” said Hon. Wanyama.
Hon Wanyama further urged the Department of Defence to foster synergistic collaboration with key institutions such as the National Museums of Kenya, The National Archives, educational establishments, and other pertinent bodies to make sure that all technical sectors are catered to for the state-of-the-art facility to be a success.
Post Author
