Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu has challenged the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) over its directive requiring counties to build official residences for governors, sparking discussions in the Senate.
The Governor raised his objections while defending Laikipia County’s 2024/25 revenue and expenditure accounts before the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), arguing that such spending was inappropriate given the pressing needs of rural communities.
Governor Irungu dismissed the Sh50 million budget cap set by the SRC for constructing governors’ residences, describing it as insufficient. He warned that completing such projects would place a heavy financial strain on counties.
“Beyond the construction, the cost of maintaining such facilities is huge,” he said, noting that a governor’s residence would require guest houses, gardeners, security personnel, and domestic staff. He also questioned the ethics of prioritising luxury housing amid severe social challenges.
“There is a moral aspect to this. How do I spend Sh50 million to put up a mansion while women in some parts of Laikipia walk up to 20 kilometres to access water? How can I construct a mansion when women are giving birth in the bush?” he asked, adding that he had no intention of building the residence.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu highlighted the issue in her report, noting that Laikipia County had neither constructed nor budgeted for official residences for the Governor and Deputy Governor. She pointed out that this was contrary to an SRC circular issued on May 20, 2019, which sets guidelines for housing benefits for governors, deputy governors, and county assembly speakers, requiring official residences to be commissioned by June 30, 2022.
The Auditor-General further noted that in the absence of official residences, the Governor and Deputy Governor continued to receive Sh300,000 monthly house allowances each, totaling Sh3.6 million per year—a practice deemed irregular under SRC rules.
Defending the county’s approach, Governor Irungu argued that counties should have autonomy in deciding their priorities. “Rural counties should be given the freedom to decide what is best for them based on their needs. The most prudent thing is for the circular to be withdrawn,” he said, urging the Senate to intervene.
His statements drew questions from Senators Enock Wambua and Okongo Omogeni during the meeting chaired by CPAC Vice Chairperson Johnes Mwaruma.
“You don’t intend to comply with the SRC circular?” Senator Wambua asked, highlighting that ongoing house allowances were also costly. Senator Omogeni suggested that if counties were unwilling to build official residences, the SRC should consider withdrawing the directive.
The committee agreed to escalate the matter to the Senate for debate and final decision. Senator Omogeni proposed that the Council of Governors develop a position paper to guide the Senate’s discussion. “Maybe the Council of Governors should develop a position paper so that the Senate can intervene,” he said. Governor Irungu committed to submitting the matter to the Council of Governors for consideration.
