MPs question Sh1b refurbishment of DP residence under Gachagua

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his successor Kithure Kindiki chat at the Kenya School of Government. [DPCS]

Members of Parliament are now demanding a detailed expenditure account of Sh1.12 billion spent under the office of the deputy president during the tenure of impeached DP Rigathi Gachagua.

A House team has directed that the office furnishes it with documents and evidence of how the funds were expedited during the 2023/2024 financial year, after it emerged that Sh249.8 million had been spent on the refurbishment of the deputy president’s official residence in Karen, Sh717.7 million by the office of the spouse of the deputy president for affirmative action interventions, Sh98.4 million for the refurbishment of buildings at Harambee annexe, and a further Sh49.0 for the refurbishment of the Deputy President’s residence in Mombasa.

The National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security, which was considering a submission of the status report on Budget implementation for the previous financial year by the ODP, also sought answers on some Sh5,023,000 that was said to have been generated by the office after it coordinated the disposal of identified obsolete stores.

Notably, the completion date of the renovation of Harambee Annex, the DP’s Karen Residence and Mombasa residence is 2027 at a total cost of Sh1.25 billion.

Committee chair Gabriel Tongoyo questioned the expenditure of the collected Sh 5 million, seeking to know whether it was channeled to the National Treasury or was used as Appropriation in Aid (AIA). He also sought for a progress report on the refurbishment of Harambee House annexe and the Karen DP residence.

“You say that the refurbishment of the office of the DP in Karen is fourty five percent complete while from other sources we are being told that the building is complete and is actually in use…It is not very clear. You also need to give us a breakdown on the issue of the Mombasa residence and Harambee annex; we would have appreciated aif you told us what exactly was the scope of the renovation,” said Tongoyo.

Vice Chair Dido Rasso raised concern over whether value for money was achieved in the expenditure of the funds and questioned the lack of pending bills for the projects, some of which, he said, began in 2015.

“Are you convinced that this committee, if we do an oversight visit to those areas, we will actually be able to put our finger to verify that indeed there is value for money in these projects? “posed Rasso.

“What was the procurement system that was used to actually tell us that there are no pending bills except for Sh4 million. This is interesting because government does not procure services in cash and we don’t pay everything at once. You need to shed light on this,” he added.

Principal Administration Secretary in the office of the DP Moses Mbaruku and Director planning Anne Mwangi , who had appeared before the committee, however sought to set the record straight.

In a document tabled before the House team, they explained that the refurbishment of Harambee annexe, Karen residence as well as the Mombasa residence all began in July 2023 and were expected to be complete in June 2027.

It also indicated that under the refurbishment of the official residences of the Deputy President in Mombasa and Karen, maintenance works were undertaken and the Cabinet room and the dining hall were completed.

The refurbishment of Harambee House Annex included the installation of three lifts, UPS, and a card reader for the VIP lift. It also included a revamping of the VIP dining room on the second floor.

“You realize that the refurbishment of the buildings both at the Karen and Mombasa residence as well as at Harambee Annex will run for five years and we have quite a number of things that need to be done,” said Mwangi.

In Harambee Annex, for instance, she pointed out that major renovations were yet to be undertaken, such as the renovation of 12 washrooms, redesigning and the furnishing of the second floor auditorium and an upgrade of the fourth floor.

“We also need to replace our corridors; tiles need to be changed because they have already started cracking. We also have renovation of the Kitchenette, seven of them. There is also the remodeling of basement areas, repainting and lighting of the whole building, and a repair and replacement of water pumps for the fountain,” she submitted.

On the procurement system, she ruled out any wrongdoing noting that the office relies on an open tender system.

At the same time, Mbaruku yesterday confirmed that staff under the impeached Deputy President Gachagua are in the process of vacating office given that their contracts were tied to the tenure of the DP.

“When his tenure ended, their contracts were deemed to have come to an end by 31 st of last month. As we speak now, the process of clearing them is ongoing, to help them clear and also to pay them their final dues,” he told the Mps.

Adding, “But for those who are permanent and pensionable, and those seconded from other offices, they are still working in the office of the DP.”

His revelation was in response to a query by Tongoyo. On the fate of the workers.