A video shared by President William Ruto on Instagram has gone viral, capturing a rare moment of camaraderie between him and his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, during a personal tour of the newly renovated State House in Nairobi.
In the video, the two leaders, dressed sharply, with Ruto in a blue suit and Uhuru in a dark shirt with white patterns, are seen strolling side by side on the expansive lawn of the presidential residence.
At one point, Uhuru, in his signature animated style, playfully nudges Ruto while chatting, eliciting laughter between them.
President Ruto shared the video on his social media and captioned the video: “I had the pleasure of conducting my old good friend, Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, on a tour around State House after the joint EAC-SADC meeting on the restoration of peace and stability in the DRC.”
In February, when images of the State House’s facelift first hit the public domain, they sparked angry reactions from Kenyans online and offline. The building, steeped in 118 years of history, had undergone a dramatic transformation.
The backdrop of the video, State House Nairobi, has been the subject of heated debate since February, when images of its new look first surfaced online.
What was once a well-preserved colonial-era symbol of power and history had, in the eyes of many Kenyans, morphed into a near-unrecognisable version of its former self.
Gone were the iconic red roof tiles and stately symmetry, and in their place, a flat-roofed structure with merged entrances and hidden chimneys, changes that architects and historians say stripped the building of its century-old architectural charm.
“This is no longer the State House we know,” lamented Florence Nyole, president of the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK). “These kinds of changes to a site of such historical importance should not be made without public involvement.”
The renovation, part of a multi-billion shilling upgrade spanning several State Houses and Lodges across the country, has ignited public anger—not just for the design changes, but for the price tag attached to it. At a time when Kenyans are tightening belts and enduring tough economic times, the spending has left many fuming.