The Treasury has allocated Sh900 million to offer State House Nairobi a facelift, making it the largest upgrade of the 117-year-old building.
Budget documents tabled in Parliament show the upgrade budget will increase from Sh795.4 million that has been allocated to State House Nairobi in the fiscal year ending this month. Architects had warned that parts of the expansive colonial structure had become unfit for habitation and recommended the construction of a new building.
Sh500 million will be spent on the construction of buildings, Sh250 million on refurbishment, ICT equipment Sh100 million and Sh50 million for the purchase of specialised equipment.
The upgrade was set in late 2022 when it had a new occupant after President William Ruto rose to power after the August 9 general election.
But a biting cash crunch delayed the facelift. It is not clear how much was disbursed to the State House this financial year from the Sh795.4 million allocation. The Treasury had signalled difficulties in fully funding the upgrade, informing the staggered disbursement.
“Challenges faced during the review period (FY 2020/21-FY 2022/23) include inadequate budgetary provision leading to pending bills which distorted the implementation of planned programs, increased cost of goods and services and high cost of maintenance of old infrastructure within State Houses and State Lodges,” the Treasury states in its budget books.
The enhancement comes at a time when the State has ordered all ministries and State departments to cut their operational budgets for the fiscal year ending June. Kenya is facing deepening economic challenges due to growing debt repayments, rising interest rates and high taxes that have curbed consumer demand. The difficulties in mobilising domestic revenues have forced the Treasury to turn to budget cuts and seal a gaping fiscal deficit.
“The fiscal policy endeavours to strike an appropriate balance, addressing rising debt and social discontent while recognizing the difficult trade-offs exerted by Kenya’s limited fiscal space that has been exacerbated by continued financing constraints,” the Treasury added.
Taxpayers will fork out Sh1.558 billion for the year starting July for the refurbishment of State Houses, including the Mombasa facility and State lodges such as Kisumu, Kakamega and Kisii.
The State lodges were rarely used by former Presidents— Uhuru Kenyatta and Mwai Kibaki — but Dr Ruto has occasionally held Cabinet meetings in the Eldoret and Kisumu facilities. Built in 1907, State House Nairobi, formerly known as Government House, is an expression of European style and features a protruding entrance with a triangular top resting on columns.
The now official residence of the President of Kenya was designed by Sir Herbert Baker with notes available online showing the residency was designed around a large columned patio on an old site that retained existing houses as a servant’s wing.
The building previously served as the official residence of the Governor of the British East Africa Protectorate when Kenya was a British colony but became the residence of the founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta at Independence.
State House Nairobi is nicknamed ‘the house on the hill’ to mirror its topography in contrast with the rest of the Nairobi Capital.
In January, President Ruto indicated he would work away from the official Nairobi residence during the renovations.
According to the Treasury, the State House plays the role of facilitation to the President in providing leadership, coordination, oversight, and promoting good governance for sustainable socio-economic development.
