The National Treasury has set aside Ksh1 billion in the 2021/22 budget estimate table before parliament for the purchase of a property that will house Kenya's UK embassy in London.
Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani noted that the current diplomatic offices are in deplorable state and leasing of office spaces has cost taxpayers a lot of money.
The CS noted that the London embassy and those in New York (United Nations), Canada, Washington, Russia, Australia, Geneva, Japan, China, South Korea and the Los Angeles consulate are in deplorable state and in need of a facelift.
In 2020, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau while appearing at the National Assembly, stated that most of Kenya's diplomatic residences abroad are old since they were acquired in the early years after Kenya attained independence.
Yatani stated that the purchase of the London property is expected to be completed in July 2021.
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The move has, however, raised eyebrows, with a section of analysts arguing that the purchases are not a priority. The Ministry downplayed the claims, stating that Kenya needs a glowing global image.
The Ministry revealed that it costs taxpayers Ksh3 billion annually to pay rent for consulate offices.
Kenyan diplomats in London and New York have been forced to rent separate homes and offices due to the deplorable state of the country's diplomatic offices.
Though it is not clear how much Kenya pays to rent the London offices, the city is, however, known to have one of the highest leasing rates in the world.
According to the Knight Frank’s Global Cities report, London has the highest rent for office spaces after Tokyo, Hong Kong, and New York.
Last year, parliament denied the ministry Ksh250 million meant to renovate the ageing consulate offices in New York and the High Commission in London.
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