State Gazettes New State Lodge Previously Housing County Commissioner
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has designated the Homabay County Commissioner’s residence as a State Lodge.
Murkomen declared in a gazette notification issued Tuesday, May 12, that the residence will now be designated as a state lodge, effective Friday, May 15.
According to the notification, the declaration is for the general public’s awareness and formally identifies the facility for official governmental functions and use.
“It is notified for the general information of the public that the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration declares Homa Bay County Commissioner’s Residence as a State Lodge,” Murkomen stated in the gazette notice.
The announcement comes a year after the venue was built in Homa Bay Town for the 2025 Madaraka Day celebrations.
Massive. Homabay County Commissioner's residence, which will serve as a mini state lodge. Congratulations, Dr. Raymond Omollo! pic.twitter.com/whqxgp2Icf
— Abuga Makori EGH, MBE (@abuga_makori) February 14, 2025
The venue welcomed President William Ruto for the Madaraka Day celebrations, but it had not yet been officially designated as a state lodge.
It has been used by the county commissioner as his official residence since then.
The declaration means that the government has officially upgraded the property into an exclusive, high-security secondary residence for the Head of State.
The government has gazetted the Homa Bay County Commissioner’s residence as a State Lodge, marking a significant upgrade in its status and function.
— K24TV (@K24Tv) May 17, 2026
Read the full story here: https://t.co/HIVuIpoYaT pic.twitter.com/aFLQR3a0ep
The County Commissioner is now required to vacate the premises to give the president and high-ranking state officials exclusive access to the facility during regional tours.
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It also means that the management, maintenance, and security of the facility are now transferred from the Ministry of Interior to the State House Comptroller’s office.
State Lodges are government-designated residences used to host official state engagements, visiting dignitaries, and other high-level government functions outside the capital.
With the Homa Bay property now declared a state lodge, the president now has three state lodges in the Nyanza region after Kisumu and Kisii.
The declaration marks a broader push by the administration to decentralise executive operations and establish permanent presidential residences across the 47 counties.
In 2025, Murkomen also gazetted the official residences of the Bungoma and Kwale County Commissioners into fully-fledged State Lodges.
State Gazettes New State Lodge Previously Housing County Commissioner
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