The Kenyan High Commission in London has been dealt with a major blow after the Treasury reduced its budget by Sh500 million for upgrading aging office buildings for foreign missions and the parent Foreign Affairs ministry.
In a mini-budget presented before the National Assembly, the Treasury has reduced expenditure for the purchase of an office block for an embassy in London by a third to Sh670 million from Sh1 billion approved last June.
The budget for upgrading and renovating the ambassador’s residence in London has also been cut in half to Sh20 million.
The purchase of the chancery in London is part of the Treasury’s gradual shift from renting to owning property for Kenya’s foreign missions in an effort to reduce the cost of rent, which is estimated to be Sh3 billion per year.
In a previous meeting with lawmakers, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau stated that the majority of government-owned properties in missions abroad are old, having been acquired during Kenya’s early years of independence.
Kamau told the legislators that the plan to acquire new properties for foreign missions would be phased in over time, explaining that the change would reduce the country’s annual rental costs.
According to audit reports, embassies in London, Washington, New York (UN), Canada, Russia, Australia, Geneva, Japan, China, South Korea, and the Los Angeles consulate are in disrepair and in desperate need of repair.
Due to the poor condition of some of the missions, Kenya has been forced to lease space to house diplomatic officials.
Expenditure for Kenya’s property in Ethiopia has also been reduced by Sh5.18 million to Sh29.82 million, while that for Lusaka and Kinshasa has been reduced by half to Sh5 million each.
The budget for the office building in Mogadishu, which has had a tense relationship with Nairobi due to a long-standing maritime territorial dispute, has also been cut in half to Sh14.82 million.
However, the Treasury has increased the budget for renovating Kenya’s properties in New York by Sh30 million to Sh200 million in estimates awaiting approval from MPs.
