Ksh150M Escape Tunnel Protecting MPs Going To & From Parliament
The launch of the tunnel that coincided with the official opening of Bunge Towers means that it is now hard for members of the public to catch the sight of their MPs when entering and leaving Parliament.
Marvin Chege 
Members of Parliament and the Senate are known to move around quite often, if not making appearances at the National Assembly and Senate chambers to conduct House business. But did you know that it is impossible these days to catch them going in and out of Parliament buildings on foot?
Amidst the voting on the Finance Bill 2024, all eyes will be on the legislators as they vote on clauses of the bill that have sparked uproar amongst Kenyans owing to their punitive nature and how much serious damage they could do to the country's economy.
Planned protests by socio-political activist, Boniface Mwangi on Tuesday, June 18 at 12.00 pm dubbed #OccupyParliament opposing the numerous taxes by President William Ruto's administration could put the safety of the MPs at risk on their way to the Parliament buildings, thus this vital feature will come in handy.
Beneath the section of Nairobi’s Harambee Avenue that stretches from Parliament Road and Uhuru Highway lies an 'escape' tunnel valued at Ksh150 million that connects the main Parliament buildings with the new ultramodern Ksh9.6 billion Bunge Towers, a new office complex that currently accommodates the increased bicameral Parliament of 349 Members of the National Assembly and 67 Members of the Senate.
Photo of a tunnel linking two parallel platforms in Australia. /WONGM'S RAIL GALLERY
The construction of the five-metre-wide, 120-metre-long tunnel was specifically to “protect” the lawmakers from the prying eyes of their constituents and otherwise “bothersome” members of the public.
Members of the public have been known to loiter around the Parliament gates to beg for handouts from the MPs whenever the lawmakers are accessing or leaving the main Parliament buildings.
The launch of the tunnel that coincided with the official opening of Bunge Towers means that it is now hard for members of the public to catch the sight of their MPs when entering and leaving Parliament.
The tunnel is separated into two; vehicular and pedestrian, and links the main Parliament building to the office block at Basement 2 and other neighbouring parliament buildings.
Conception
As previously reported by Nation, MPs had on many occasions complained to parliamentary leadership of being “waylaid” by their supporters and strangers at the parliament gate who were seeking financial help and other kinds of assistance, necessitating the construction of the tunnels.
During the design of the office block, a traffic study was undertaken on the roads around Parliament and it was established that there needed a separate entry and exit for vehicles to the basement parking due to the size of the building and the amount of traffic that would be generated.
The study recommended that vehicles enter the main Parliament through the main entrance opposite County Hall on Harambee Avenue and then enter the tunnel near the staff canteen and to Basement 2.
It said the vehicles should then exit the basement parking on the southern end of the new building, which is the side that overlooks Haile Selassie Avenue.
Tunnel Features
The two sets of tunnels are properly ventilated, have a 24-hour lighting system, have Wi-Fi internet coverage, are cleaned round the clock, have a well-thought-out drainage system, are properly aerated and are manned by security officers on a 24-hour basis.
The tunnels are also fitted with ducts to facilitate power, data and voice transmission to the adjacent buildings.
Bunge Towers was initiated by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) in 2010 to provide sufficient office space for MPs. Despite having committee rooms among other facilities, it was never going to be complete without the tunnels.
“The vehicular tunnel helps address traffic challenges that would have inconvenienced the lawmakers and members of the public. So, I will say that the idea of the tunnel for both vehicles and pedestrians was well-thought-out,” National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula said in 2023.
President William Ruto officially opened the Bunge Towers on April 25, 2024. It was initially set to cost taxpayers Ksh5.89 billion, only for the amount to be raised to Ksh9.6 billion, a matter that led to critics claiming alleged misuse of public resources and questioning whether Kenyans got value for their money.
Collage of President William Ruto officially opening the Bunge Tower in Nairobi on April 25, 2024. /SENATE KENYA
Of the numerous state-of-the-art features, the Towers come with an audio-visual system which will help Kenyans keep Members of Parliament accountable, particularly those who refuse to respond to phone calls and other distress calls.
Speaking during the opening of the Bunge Tower, Kericho MP Aaron Cheruiyot announced that Bunge Tower is fitted with internet-enabled audio-visual streaming technology which will help Kenyans see members present in various committees and their contributions.
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