Governor okays plans to build his Deputy a residence at Sh30 million

Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o (center) with Kisumu County Assembly Acting Speaker Elisha Oraro (left) and majority leader Kenneth Onyango during the official signing of the county approval bill in Kisumu on September 17, 2019. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o has approved plans to build the governor and deputy governor official residences at a cost of Sh70 million.

The governor’s residence will cost Sh40 million, the amount being six times less than the initial Sh250 million earmarked for the project in 2018. The deputy governor’s residence will cost about Sh30 million.

The money has been factored in this year’s budget. According to the governor, the two residences will be put up on land recovered from grabbers.

“The premises will be put up on county government land. We will not purchase land for this,” said Prof Nyong’o.

“We expect to boost the land bank by further acquisitions, including of illegally allotted parcels of land,” he said.

The governor made the remarks after the county assembly approved the Sh11.8 billion budget for the 2019 fiscal year after a prolonged standoff.

The development came as Deputy Governor Mathews Owili was saved from eviction last month over Sh1.4 million accumulated rent arrears for 14 months.

Owili’s landlord, United Millers, had issued him with a letter, saying it would not renew his tenancy agreement in September if the debt was not cleared.

The deputy governor said he learnt of his impending eviction with shock and wondered why his Milimani apartment rent arrears had not been offset by the county’s finance department.

Earlier, efforts to compel the finance department to pay the debt proved futile.

Yesterday, County Director of Communications Aloice Ager said the administration was in the process of identifying land for the construction of the two residences.

“We are scouting for a suitable and safe location,” Ager told The Standard.

A circular by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission had advised counties to put up official residences for their governors and deputy governors by June 30 this year, before extending this to 2022.