Ruto’s CS Reveals Who Approved The New State House Flat Roof
Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale disclosed on Sunday that the government had engaged the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to build the State House, as plans for more improvements emerged.
The latest remodeling of the State House has caused debate.
Many Kenyans had mixed feelings about the new design, which took shape weeks ago after extensive repairs during President William Ruto’s administration.
Duale noted that the State House is deemed an important security site, hence the government could not award the building contract to anybody other than KDF.
He is the immediate past Defence Cabinet Secretary, and during his tenure, renovations at State House began.
“The architect in State House and the engineers are from the Kenya Defence Forces. Of course, the State House is a security installation and the seat of the President of the republic,” Duale revealed.
Aden Duale: It’s not about a roof. Let’s not trivialize the seat of the President, the seat of the government, the face of the Republic in the eyes of high dignitaries who come. State House is the face of the Republic and the seat of power to distinguished heads of state and… pic.twitter.com/hb5va849LJ
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) February 2, 2025
When asked why the government chose KDF for the project despite the high restoration costs and the necessity for an open contract procurement process, Duale stated that the military was only involved in the redesign.
He further stated that the final design was authorized by the Comptroller of State House, Katoo Ole Metito.
“The architects are architects of the KDF. It is the Comptroller of the State House who approves the design as he is the accounting officer,” Duale stated.
According to Margaret Nyakang’o, Controller of Budget, there is a Ksh10.7 billion plan to refurbish state residences and lodges around the country over a 12-year period concluding in June 2027.
Official records show that as of September 2024, Ksh3.3 billion had been spent on renovations, with the Nairobi project valued at Ksh1.7 billion.
By the same period, Ksh775 million had already been used, which represented a 44% completion status.
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However, documents from the Controller of Budget show that no money was spent between June 2024 and December 2024 as a result of the President’s budget cuts imposed after the withdrawal of Finance Bill 2024.
Furthermore, Duale downplayed Kenyans’ concerns about the amount spent on the restoration, noting that investigative authorities will be involved in scrutinizing the expenses to ensure transparency.
“Everything that we do including building of the State House is anchored on the law. It is not something pedestrian. It is not in the streets,” Duale added.
“The Auditor General, the Controller of Budget and the EACC will use the law to see where money was lost in the process or a proper work was not done; State House is no different.”
Ruto’s CS Reveals Who Approved The New State House Flat Roof
