Renovated Nairobi State House/FILEThe government spent Sh1.17 billion on the refurbishment of State House, State Lodges and buildings under the Office of the Deputy President in just one year.
The spending is contained in the latest national government budget implementation report for the year ended June 30, 2026.
The revelations come at a time when President William Ruto’s administration is under pressure to cut wastage and redirect scarce public resources to essential services.
State House alone consumed Sh1.07 billion of the amount, while Sh100 million went to the residence and other buildings under the Office of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.
The hefty spending comes as the State House budget continues to balloon.
“The revised budget allocation to the State House in FY 2025-26 amounted to Sh18.55 billion, compared to Sh12.07 billion allocated in FY 2024-25,” the report states.
At State House, Nairobi, taxpayers forked out Sh459.20 million for refurbishment of buildings during the year.
The latest expenditure pushed the total amount spent renovating the presidential residence to Sh1.65 billion since 2015.
The government also spent Sh30.99 million on specialised plant, equipment and machinery for State House.
The spending spree was replicated across the country’s network of State Lodges.
In Eldoret, Sh437.64 million was spent refurbishing the State Lodge in a single financial year. This pushed cumulative expenditure on the facility to Sh484.74 million since 2016.
Sagana State Lodge consumed another Sh14.96 million for refurbishment of buildings, taking total spending since 2016 to Sh121.87 million.
The government also spent Sh41.35 million refurbishing the fence and main house at Mombasa State House. The latest expenditure pushed the total bill for the facility to Sh460.53 million since 2016.
In Nakuru, refurbishment of State House has cost Sh449.44 million since 2015, including Sh25 million spent in the year under review.
Kisumu State Lodge was not spared. Refurbishment of buildings cost Sh36.44 million during the year, taking the cumulative bill since 2015 to Sh124.15 million.
Kakamega State Lodge also received Sh24.84 million for refurbishment, pushing total spending since 2015 to Sh77.77 million.
The figures raise fresh questions about the cost of maintaining an expanding network of presidential residences and government facilities, particularly as the administration grapples with rising debt, a tight fiscal space and demands for spending cuts.
At the Deputy President’s office, refurbishment of the Karen residence cost taxpayers Sh50 million, pushing total expenditure on the property to Sh287.1 million since 2023.
Another Sh50 million was spent renovating other buildings under the DP’s office, taking the cumulative expenditure on the facilities to Sh148.4 million.
But even as millions continue to be pumped into the projects, implementation has been flagged as slow.
“Analysis of the project implementation under the Office of the Deputy President showed that both projects expected to be completed by June 2027, had recorded slow progress,” the report states.
For State House projects, the government reported progress but stopped short of declaring them complete.
“Analysis of the State House project implementation status revealed steady progress with varying levels of completion,” the report reads.
