By Joseph Mose
Etaya Governor’s Park in Kisii is attracting visitors, traders and content creators, weeks after it was officially opened by Governor Paul Simba Arati on September 20, 2026.
The recreational facility, developed on the former Nyambera dumpsite, has given the once-neglected area a new lease of life, with residents turning up to relax, socialise and enjoy the open space.
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The change has also created business opportunities for small-scale traders selling watermelons, drinking water and other refreshments to visitors.
For the vendors, the park has become a new place to find customers, particularly as more people visit the facility for leisure and outdoor activities.
The park is also drawing photographers, videographers and social media content creators who are using its surroundings as a setting for their productions.
Among those who have filmed at the facility are Sermonate Ministers, a regional choir that recently used the park as a location for a music video.
Its growing popularity among content creators is adding to the range of activities taking place at the facility, beyond recreation and informal trade.
The development has changed the character of a site that was previously used as a dumpsite and had become associated with marabou storks that scavenged there.
However, sustaining the park’s appeal will depend on how well it is maintained as visitor numbers increase. Cleanliness, security and proper care of the facilities will be important, particularly as traders and creative teams make greater use of the space.
The park’s development is part of the Kisii County administration’s efforts to improve public spaces and provide residents with recreational facilities.
For now, Etaya Governor’s Park is giving residents another place to spend their free time while offering traders and local creatives an opportunity to make use of a space that had long been neglected.
