For decades, official residences meant for senior government or state officials have mostly been occupied. It is rare for such buildings, which have cost the nation millions, to remain unused.
Nonetheless, the official Chief Justice’s residence in Runda has been vacant for nearly 13 years. Why has this been the case despite the government’s heavy investment?
In this segment, Times Digital Kenya explores why it has remained unoccupied for so many years.
Chief Justice official residence unoccupied
House number 131 in Runda, Nairobi, stands eerily conspicuous, nestled in a pristine and arboreal city neighborhood despite its palatial and stately stature.
The palatial house, intended for the Chief Justice, was purchased in 2013 at a cost of around KSh 310 million from former Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama. Unfortunately, it has largely remained unoccupied, with links to procurement scandals and EACC probes.
Another reason none of Kenya’s three Chief Justices has lived in the residence is the longstanding issues with its suitability and high maintenance costs.
The house, meant for the first Chief Justice under the new constitution, Willy Mutunga, and his successors, was purchased without proper valuation.
Now, over a decade later, the residence still remains unoccupied, apparently due to the controversial circumstances surrounding its purchase.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) investigated the matter and later recommended charges against former Judiciary Registrar Gladys Shollei and seven other people for failure to comply with procurement laws when buying the house.
They denied three counts of engaging in a project without prior planning and failing to comply with procurement procedures.
In January 2020, then Judiciary Chief Registrar Anne Amadi confirmed that the house had remained vacant because it was in an uninhabitable state due to budget constraints.
Not only did Willy Mutunga not occupy it throughout his tenure as Kenya’s Chief Justice, but David Maraga also lived in his private home in Karen.
The same applies to the current Chief Justice, Martha Koome, who has opted to stay in her private residence rather than move into the official CJ house, mainly for the reasons stated earlier.
According to one of its caretakers, the building hardly gets any visitors. He says that the premises still belong to the Judiciary and are always protected by two police officers, but no Chief Justice has resided there since it was purchased.
