Sh2.3 billion State House facelift planned despite budget cuts

Taxpayers will foot a Sh2.3 billion bill to renovate and upgrade President William Ruto’s offices in the upcoming financial year, even as the government promises to cut spending due to revenue shortfalls.

Documents from the Treasury show that the Executive Office of the President and State House have been allocated the bulk of the money to carry out major rehabilitation works, with a significant portion going to facelift State House Nairobi and various State lodges across the country.

The Office of the President’s development budget will rise sharply from Sh50 million in the current financial year to Sh1.46 billion, marking one of the largest increases among government departments.

Out of the total, Sh894.9 million will go directly to rehabilitation works at State House, with Sh680.7 million earmarked for general maintenance in Nairobi.

The remaining funds will support projects such as repairs at State lodges and improvements at Harambee House, the Government Press, and a contribution to the National Fund for the Disabled.

This comes despite repeated pledges by the Kenya Kwanza government to cut unnecessary expenditure and avoid lavish projects, especially after public anger over earlier proposals to raise taxes in the Finance Bill 2024.

While approving the Sh4.3 trillion budget estimates on May 2, the Cabinet signaled that major revisions would be made to align the plan with falling revenue projections.

It said it aims to cut the budget deficit to 2.7% without raising taxes.

However, it did not give specifics of where the cuts would come from, leaving questions about the decision to continue with expensive renovations.

The facelift for the State House has faced criticism before.

The most recent upgrades included a controversial redesign that removed its colonial-era rooftop, drawing concern from bodies such as the Architectural Association of Kenya.

The government defended the works, saying the building had become structurally unfit for use and that renovation was a more affordable option than demolition.

Funding for the earlier phase of renovations had been shifted to the National Intelligence Service and Ministry of Defence.

In the second supplementary budget for 2024/25, the Treasury had initially allocated Sh1.5 billion for the facelift but later removed the provision due to pressure over rising public debt and reduced donor inflows.

The Treasury has now returned with a fresh proposal, allocating nearly Sh900 million for further works at State House.

Other planned expenditures include Sh60.1 million for the Eldoret lodge, Sh42.5 million for Mombasa, Sh25 million each for Nakuru and Kakamega, Sh24 million for Kisumu, Sh15 million for Sagana, and smaller amounts for Kisii and the Mechanical Garage.

Recurrent budgets for the Executive Office and State House will remain largely the same at Sh4.48 billion and Sh7.96 billion, respectively.

These cover daily operations, travel, staffing, and running of the facilities.

Other programmes in the budget include Sh185 million for the Kenya-EU counter-terrorism strategy and Sh69 million for resource survey and remote sensing.

The government insists the funding is essential. "In the fiscal year 2025/26 and throughout the medium-term period, the State House will support his excellency in executing the constitutional mandate," the Treasury stated.

It added that the office would also assist the Secretary to the Cabinet, support government communication, and ensure the infrastructure remains functional.

Katoo Ole Metito, the State House Comptroller, told MPs in March that the renovations were being managed through the NIS and the Defence Ministry.

He explained that parts of the building had gone without major updates for over a century and needed urgent attention.

However, some lawmakers are unhappy with the timing and scale of the renovations. “We are spending too much beautifying the State House.

If Kenyans are suffering because of budget cuts, the State House should take the lead in tightening the belt,” said Kisumu West MP Rozaah Buyu.

State House was built over a century ago as the residence for colonial administrators and later became the official home of Kenya’s first president.

While it was rarely used by recent presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta, President Ruto has been actively hosting events in facilities such as Sagana, Eldoret, and Kisumu.

In response to public concerns about the architectural changes, Ole Metito said, "People are seeing the renovations from afar. If you go inside the building, we haven’t lost the historical and architectural designs. The roof is not flat. The building is not yet complete."