The new office block for Kibaki and his staff is at Nyari Estate, Nairobi. His personal secretary, Prof Nick Wanjohi explained the “final touches are being done and we will invite you sometime soon to open it. May be sometime this week.”
From this house, Kibaki will carry out his official functions and receive visitors. “It has taken long to acquire it because of stringent procurement laws. But we are satisfied with the building,” said Wanjohi.
Originally, the Treasury had allocated Sh700 million for the new offices in the 2012/2013 financial year, but Parliament brought down this figure to Sh250 million following public outcry.
Original team
The house also has anelectric fence around it and apart from the outer six-metre brick wall; the main house is surrounded by another brick wall.
At any given time, according to our source, five members of the squad are assigned to guard the gates leading into the compound while a team of 15 domestic workers is assigned other duties inside the compound.
Our month-long investigations revealed that a team of ten GSU officers headed by a Chief Inspector guards the residence.
A group of five is assigned a 12-hour shift and always shuttle between Kibaki’s Kanyange rural home and the Mweiga residence.
According to our source, the original team assigned to guard the home comprised 12 officers but two are currently on training in Magadi.
Apart from the GSU officers, the house has a retinue of servants, gardeners and housekeepers, who report daily for work and are under government payroll.
An attempt by The Standard on Sunday to gain access into the compound was warded off by GSU sentries who told us visitors are not allowed without express authority from the family of the former President.
“There were a few things which had not been fixed including some plumbing but these are now in place. But I’m not sure if the contractor has handed over the project to the Government as required,” said another source who works in the house.
The employee who declined to be named for fear of being seen discussing confidential matters said the house has a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi.
The worker said the residence has also a health club and an in-house canteen for entertaining guests.
Latest fitting
“The residence also houses an office wing complete with a waiting lounge. There is also a guest wing on the left hand side and houses for the security guards near the main entrance,” added the source.
“A solar water heating system is one of the latest fittings to be installed in the expansive house,” the employee said.
Apart from the main residence, there are two double-bedroomed units for seniormanagers and a block of six houses for security personnel.
An extra block of another six houses for domestic workers is adjacent to the senior manager’s office. Painting an illustrative picture of how the residence is lavishly furnished, the worker said the manicured lawns and flower beds are tended to daily by a group of workers.
There is also a foyer and a large open ground behind the house for meetings. The area with manicured grass can accommodate between 400-500 guests.
But true to his character, Kibaki rarely spends a night in his rural home even when in Nyeri. During his presidency, he would preside over a function in Nyeri and drive back to Nairobi or fly to Sagana State Lodge for the night.
- The Standard
Follow @africanewspost
