Taxpayers to spend Sh185m on repairs of five idle State lodges

Taxpayers will fork out Sh185 million to rehabilitate and run the Nakuru State House and four others despite the residences being rarely used by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The Treasury has allocated Sh118 million in the next financial year for the repairs of buildings at the Sagana, Eldoret, Kisumu and Eldoret State lodges as well as Nakuru State House.

An additional Sh67.3 million will cater for staff pay, travel, entertainment and purchase of furniture at the State lodges and the Nakuru unit — which has witnessed little activity since 2002 after the exit of former President Daniel arap Moi who preferred it as his seat of power.

Kenyans have previously questioned the rationale of running the State lodges, arguing that Mr Kenyatta and his predecessor Mwai Kibaki rarely used the facilities.

Taxpayers will spend Sh10 million to construct a 200-metre perimeter wall at the Eldoret State lodge and another Sh10 million to rehabilitate a dais at the Kakamega State lodge.

Mr Kenyatta first spent a night at the Kakamega State lodge in July 2014, more than a year after taking office and nearly seven years after the facility hosted Mr Kibaki.