Gachagua Defends Asking For Ksh400 Million For Office Renovation & New Cars
The DP noted that only Ksh300 million was requested for the renovation of the Harambee House Annex Office
Prudence Murithi 
The Office of the Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, has released a statement addressing the budgetary allocation for the 2024/25 financial year and the 2023/24 Supplementary II estimates.
The statement sent to Viral Tea on Thursday, May 16 deemed facts and figures presented to the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security misrepresented, after they claimed that the office was seeking Ksh2.6 billion for the 2024/25 financial year.
The DP noted that only Ksh300 million was requested for the renovation of the Harambee House Annex Office, the official residence in Karen, and the official residence in Mombasa. This is due to over 15 years of neglect affecting critical areas of habitability, safety, and security.
Furthermore, for the FY 2024/25, his office requested Ksh100 million for office motor vehicles, citing the reliance on old and refurbished vehicles over the past decade, which has become costly to maintain and compromises service delivery.
President William Ruto with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as they walk into Parliament buildings on November 9, 2023 ahead of the State of the Nation Address. /DPPS
"The misrepresentation of facts and figures negates objectivity. The facts are captured in the Hansard, which is a public document," Gachagua stated.
The alleged reports had claimed that documents submitted to the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs indicated that part of the alleged Ksh2.6 billion budget would be allocated to the refurbishment of the Harambee Annex office and the Deputy President's official residence in Karen.
Specifically, Ksh1.12 billion was earmarked for these refurbishments, with Ksh460 million allocated for the Harambee Annex and Ksh660 million for the Karen residence.
The remaining Ksh1.48 billion included allocations for various other expenditures: Ksh200 million for acquiring motor vehicles, Ksh250 million for implementing an alcohol, drugs, and substance abuse program, Ksh250 million for purchasing medals, honors, and insignia, and Ksh800 million for confidential expenditures.
Patrick Mwangi, an official from the Deputy President's office, was reported to have justified the refurbishment costs by highlighting the age and lack of maintenance of the two offices.
“The continuous lack of maintenance has necessitated a facelift targeting major functional areas and security systems of the building,” he said.
Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo, the committee chair, questioned the necessity of spending Ksh250 million on medals, honors, and insignia, posing “Are we not becoming extravagant when we know very well the situation of this country?"
Other notable expenditures allegedly captured in the documents include Ksh247.7 million for catering services, accommodation, gifts, food, and drinks, and Ksh301.5 million for boards, committees, conferences, and seminars.
Additionally, there were allocations for staff uniforms and clothing trainees (Ksh2 million), international news services (Ksh17 million), entertainment allowance (Ksh205,000), transport allowance (Ksh33.6 million), and house allowance (Ksh205.5 million).
The budget also included provisions for civil service overtime (Ksh22 million), domestic servant allowance (Ksh5 million), personal allowance (Ksh328.5 million), gas (Ksh520,000), and communication costs (Ksh31.4 million for telephone, facsimile, and mobile phones, and Ksh10 million for internet connections).
Travel expenses were also detailed, with Ksh171.8 million allocated for travel costs including airline, bus, railway, and mileage allowances, and Ksh91.7 million for domestic travel accommodation.
Sundry items such as airport tax and taxis account for Ksh5.7 million, with additional travel and subsistence costs totaling Ksh343.6 million for domestic and Ksh287.6 million for foreign travel, were also captured.
Specific allocations for state visits abroad amounted to Ksh15 million, and further travel costs included Ksh163.8 million for airlines, bus, and railway, and Ksh93.8 million for accommodation.
