Kindiki gets Sh100million renovation windfall as schools, hospitals grapple with funding shortfalls

Deputy President Professor Kithure Kindiki’s official residences and office are set for a fresh round of renovations costing taxpayers Sh100 million in the 2026/27 financial year, even as public schools’ struggle with delayed capitation and health facilities face chronic underfunding.

Budget estimates before the National Assembly show that the Office of the Deputy President (ODP) has earmarked Sh100 million under its development budget for refurbishment works at the Deputy President’s official residences in Karen and Mombasa, as well as his office at Harambee House Annex.

The allocation forms part of the Sh5.2 billion proposed budget for the ODP, of which Sh5.1 billion is recurrent expenditure.

The spending has reignited debate over government priorities amid mounting questions why luxury upgrades for senior state officials continue receiving generous funding while essential public services remain cash-strapped.

Despite the generous allocations, the ODP is crying for additional Sh872 million funding, which includes Sh354.1 million to cater for hospitality- office tea, mandazis and local travel and fuel “to enable smooth facilitation of HE the Deputy President engagements.”

Moses Mbaruku, the Principal Administrative Secretary (PAS) in the ODP, presented the DP’s 2026/27 budget estimates before the House Committee on Administration and Internal Security.

“The Office of the DP has been allocated Sh100 million under the development budget, to undertake refurbishments and maintenance,” Mbaruku told the committee chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo.

The renovation millions include Sh50 million for the makeover of the official residence in Karen, Sh30 million for Harambee House Annex, which houses his office and Sh20 million for the DP’s official secondary residence in Mombasa.

“The projects will be implemented within the financial year 2026/27,” Mr Mbaruku disclosed adding; “the office is therefore requesting for additional funding on budget items hospitality, local travel and fuel to enable smooth facilitation of DP engagements.”

Curiously, the committee members did not even interrogate the ODP’s budget estimates including the cost escalation of renovations at the DP’s Karen residence since its inauguration in 2012 despite Tongoyo’s calls.

The committee members’ silence saw the committee chairperson remark; “I think it is very clear Mbaruku and thank you for the time.”

“We will look at your proposal and with the concurrence of the budget committee, we will approve,” Tongoyo said adding; “as you leave pass our regards to the DP and tell him ‘two-term’,” in reference to the Kenya Kwanza’s quest for a new term of five years in 2027.

The PAS further revealed to the committee that DP’s office also requires an additional Sh300 million for a new fleet of fuel guzzlers and Sh143 million for the construction of a health and wellness centre at his Karen residence.

“The current fleet is old and is increasingly becoming unreliable and uneconomical. Frequent repair and maintenance of the aging fleet have proven unsustainable and inefficient,” said Mbaruku.

The ODP’s planned expenditure on renovations symbolizes wastage of public funds- a clear demonstration of greed and opulence by the might while those at the lower end of the pyramid are left to the vagaries of life.

The renovations budget offends President William Ruto’s calls for austerity measures in government in the eye of depressed national government revenue, reduced donor support, the ever surging public debt that have seen an already overburdened taxpayer imposed with punitive taxes.

The DP’s Karen residence sits on at least 10-acre parcel of land in Nairobi’s most affluent area. It includes the main mansion, an office block, a guest wing, domestic staff quarters, a swimming pool and fully landscaped gardens.

Since the complex was opened in November 2012 by former President, the late Mwai Kibaki, its continuous multi-year renovations that has made it become the country’s most renovated facility, has gulped in excess of Sh600 million.

This is more than the Sh450 million used for its construction to completion.

The project, whose construction started in 2006, was originally budgeted to cost Sh197 million.

But delays, cost inflation and the onboarding of a new contractor, led to disruption and corrective works, nearly doubling the baseline building cost to Sh383 million.

However, by the time the project was complete and handed over for commissioning on November 15, 2012, Sh450 million had been expended.

Although the Karen residence was completed and inaugurated when Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka was the Vice President, he never occupied it.

Among the reasons cited for his not occupying the residence was by the time of its inauguration, it was only four months before the March 2013 general election, which left very little time for transition.

The former VP instead, chose to remain at his private Karen home as it remained vacant until William Ruto came in after the 2013 general election.

Details before parliament show that less than a year after the residence was opened, Sh100 million was spent to redo the veranda tiles, re-fix peeling wall materials and add security enhancements- electric fence and CCTV.

This was undertaken during the Jubilee administration- when William Ruto was the Deputy President. In 2020, Sh15.6 million was utilized to “refresh” the complex.

Ahead of the August 2022 general election, the National Assembly approved Sh20 million to spruce it up for its next occupant- Rigathi Gachagua.

Gachagua would later be removed from office on October 17, 2024, following a decisive late-night vote by the Senate, which upheld his impeachment by the National Assembly.

Notably, the largest expenditure on renovations occurred under former DP Gachagua, who initially had refused to move in citing leaking roofs and broken borehole pumps.

Details from the Office of the Controller of Budget (OCoB) show that Sh100 million was disbursed in July 2023 for “critical repairs” of the complex.

By late 2024, government documents presented to the National Assembly indicated that Sh249 million had been spent on the architectural updates.

This included changing carpets from red to blue, putting in premium black granite floors, constructing a 100-seat dining area, a 50 seat cabinet meeting room and structural garage units.

In 2024, just before his impeachment, Gachagua defended the renovations at the facility.

“There was a need to dignify the residence of the DP because ambassadors and other respected dignitaries meet here. We found broken taps and most things were not working,” Gachagua said.

When Kindiki came in, not long after Gachagua’s plotted renovations, public funds were again poured in for another round of extreme makeovers.

For instance, the black granite floor tiles that had lasted barely a year, were changed to white granites.

The Harambee house, previously the Shell BP house, has also undergone a cost estimate of about Sh450 million in facelift since it was acquired by the State at Sh1 billion in 2009 compared to Sh600 million used for its construction.

The building was purchased to serve as the official office of then Prime Minister the late Raila Odinga after the 2008 power sharing arrangement with the former president the late Mwai Kibaki, which ushered in the grand coalition government.

Details before parliament show that renovation works at the Harambee House Annex included critical modernizations and luxury adjustments.

For instance, the building was installed with 3 new elevators, a remodeled executive 6th floor, where the DP’s office is located, and the VIP dining room on its second floor.

There was also installation of new washrooms and repair of broken staff kitchens as well as exterior landscaping and planting of flowers around the premises.

The official DP’s official secondary residence in Mombasa, since its conversion in 2017, has undergone two major phases of refurbishments and upgrades costing the taxpayer Sh393 million.

The facility was initially the house of the former Coast Regional Coordinator Mr Samuel Kilele.

Between 2018 and 2022, when William Ruto was the Deputy President, Sh152.4 million was spent over the period to overhaul the house befitting the status of the person of the DP.

In 2019, the house saw its status legally change from a regional administrative house to the DP’s official’s secondary residence.

Under then DP Gachagua, the house underwent another facelift at a cost of Sh50 million during the fiscal period 2023/24 targeting state-of-the-art swimming pool, central air conditioning, new ceiling boards, modern washrooms and an executive guest wing.

The coming in of  Kindiki saw the house allocated Sh15 million mid 2025/26 financial year for renovation works.