Kenyan diplomats offices, residences cost up Sh409m

National Treasury building. FILE PHOTO | NMG

By JOHN MUTUA
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Summary

• Controller of Budget (CoB) report report for the period under review shows that taxpayers paid Sh662.82 million on rent for consulates and diplomats compared to Sh253.2 million in the three months to September last year.
• The rise underlines the increasing burden of renting space for Kenya’s diplomats amid perennials cuts in the funding meant to construct the offices and residences.
• State agencies, departments and ministries spent Sh1.48 billion renting space in the period under review up from Sh828.7 million in comparable period last year, backing calls for a change in policy and construct offices to cut expenses.

The cost of renting offices and residences for diplomats in the three months to September rose by Sh409.6 million compared to similar period last year underlining the burden on taxpayers to lease space in some of the world’s most expensive cities.

Controller of Budget (CoB) report report for the period under review shows that taxpayers paid Sh662.82 million on rent for consulates and diplomats compared to Sh253.2 million in the three months to September last year.

The rise underlines the increasing burden of renting space for Kenya’s diplomats amid perennials cuts in the funding meant to construct the offices and residences.

State agencies, departments and ministries spent Sh1.48 billion renting space in the period under review up from Sh828.7 million in comparable period last year, backing calls for a change in policy and construct offices to cut expenses.

The report did not disclose the reasons that drove the rise in rental costs for the country’s diplomats and consulates in major cities like Geneva, Washington DC and New York.

The increase comes at a time the ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested Parliament for an annual allocation of Sh5 billion to buy the offices and residences.

In September, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau told Parliament that the ministry has already mapped a plan to purchase properties over a 15-year period, saying it will cut the rental expenditure that stands at Sh3 billion annually.

Inadequate and uncertain funding due to budget cuts has made it hard to plan for acquisition, replacement and maintenance of properties with the ministry pushing for rig-fencing of the funds to avoid the hitches.

“Austerity measures normally make the ministry’s plan for ...ongoing construction projects and maintenance plans hard.

For instance, in Pretoria and Mogadishu, the construction has taken about five years instead of the 18 months original contract period,” Mr Kamau told Parliament.

Parliament last year denied the ministry Sh254 million meant for renovation of the dilapidated and ageing Chancery in New York and the High Commission in London, forcing the ministry to keep renting space.

A report tabled before Parliament in September shows that the stations in New York (UN), Canada, Washington, Russia, Australia, Geneva, Japan, China, South Korea and the Los Angeles consulate are dilapidated and in dire need of upgrading.