Govt Gazettes New State Lodges For Ruto

The government has added two more State Lodges in Bungoma and Kwale to accommodate President William Ruto during his nationwide tours.

According to a gazette notice, Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen stated that the official homes of the County Commissioners in both Bungoma and Kwale will now function as State Lodges, raising the national total to nine.

“It is notified for the general information of the public that the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration declares the Bungoma County Commissioner and Kwale County Commissioner’s official residences as State Lodges,” the notice read.

State Lodges in Kenya are official government-owned residences used by the President and top officials for retreats, travel stopovers, and official events. These spots are spread across different regions and maintained by the government, specifically the State House Comptroller’s office.

The President mainly uses them to rest, hold private meetings, or run official business while outside Nairobi. Sometimes they also host visiting dignitaries, government retreats, or major high-level summits. Occasionally, the Deputy President or other senior leaders can use them too if special arrangements are made.

Right now, there are State Lodges in Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret, Sagana, Mombasa, Kakamega, and Kisii. Sagana is one of the most talked-about places, as past presidents have used it for key political retreats and announcements. It even got a serious facelift during Uhuru Kenyatta’s time in office.

Nakuru’s Lodge is another big one historically. Presidents Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Arap Moi used it a lot, and it still hosts political and admin meetings today.

These Lodges are funded by taxpayers through the State House budget. Any upgrades or renovations usually show up in national budget reports or audits by the Auditor-General.

That said, under President Ruto, there has been more focus on cutting down unnecessary spending. Word is, the use of multiple State Lodges has been scaled back in favour of more centralised operations.

It is worth noting that State Lodges and State Houses aren’t the same thing. A State House is more high-level; it’s both the President’s residence and office where official duties are carried out and foreign guests are hosted. Kenya currently has three State Houses: in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Nakuru.

With the gazettment of the new lodges, they will be allocated money for maintenance works just like the others. Appropriate security personnel are also expected to be deployed to the residences.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Margaret Kenyatta walk outside the Kisii State Lodge. /PSCU