Taxpayers to spend millions on Ruto’s Mombasa office

Deputy President William Ruto. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By LYNET IGADWAH

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Summary

• Construction of the office is expected to start in coming weeks as the State proceeds with setting up an official home for the Deputy President, next to State House, Mombasa.

Taxpayers will spend Sh50 million to build a second office for the Deputy President William Ruto in Mombasa, months after establishing an official home for the second most powerful man in the coastal town.

Details of Mr Ruto’s Mombasa office were revealed on Thursday when the National Assembly’s Budget committee gave a breakdown of the revised government spending for the year ended June.

This means construction of the office is expected to start in coming weeks as the State proceeds with setting up an official home for the Deputy President, next to State House, Mombasa.

“Treasury has allocated Sh50 million for the construction of DPs office in Mombasa,” read the details of the Supplementary Budget II tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

The Sh50 million will cover the start of the construction of the office whose design is yet to be made public.

Additional funds will be provided in the next financial year, which starts on July 1.

Mr Ruto has an office in Nairobi located on Harambee Avenue and also uses his Sh400 million official residence that sits on a 10-acre piece of land in Karen for official functions, especially when hosting delegations.

READ: Uhuru, Ruto travel spending hits Sh193m in three months

While the Head of State spends time at State House, Mombasa whenever on official working visits to the Coast, his deputy has been forced to take up residence in selected beach hotels within the Coast.

Now, the government is converting the former official residence of Coast Provincial commissioner in Mombasa to the official home for the Deputy President in the region.

It called for contractors in September to carry out conversion works on the PC’s house, which is currently not occupied.

The last occupant of the house was Samuel Kilele, former Coast PC and a past Coast Regional Coordinator.

In Nairobi, Mr Ruto has preferred to reside in his private home instead of the palatial Karen property.

The government opted against leasing an office for Mr Ruto in Mombasa for security reasons, prompting the plans to build the office block.