More than Sh1 billion was channelled into the upkeep of presidential and Deputy President facilities in a single financial year, with State House and State Lodges taking the largest share of the refurbishment bill.
Government records show that Sh1.17 billion was spent on renovation of State House, State Lodges and buildings under the Office of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in the year ended June 30, 2026.
State House received Sh1.07 billion, while facilities under the Deputy President’s office accounted for the remaining Sh100 million.
The expenditure is contained in the latest national government budget implementation report and comes as the government faces pressure to reduce wastage and make better use of limited public funds.
The cost of maintaining State House has also risen alongside its budget, with the revised allocation increasing to Sh18.55 billion in the 2025-26 financial year from Sh12.07 billion in 2024-25.
“The revised budget allocation to the State House in FY 2025-26 amounted to Sh18.55 billion, compared to Sh12.07 billion allocated in FY 2024-25,” the report states.
In Nairobi, Sh459.20 million was used to refurbish buildings at State House during the year. The latest allocation raised the total amount spent on renovation of the presidential residence since 2015 to Sh1.65 billion.
State House also received Sh30.99 million for specialised plant, equipment and machinery.
Outside Nairobi, the refurbishment bill was spread across several State Lodges and other presidential facilities.
Eldoret State Lodge accounted for Sh437.64 million in refurbishment expenditure during the year, taking the total amount spent on the facility since 2016 to Sh484.74 million.
Sagana State Lodge received Sh14.96 million for building refurbishment. Its cumulative expenditure on refurbishment since 2016 now stands at Sh121.87 million.
At Mombasa State House, Sh41.35 million was used to renovate the fence and main house. The latest spending brought the total cost of refurbishment at the facility to Sh460.53 million since 2016.
Nakuru State House has accumulated refurbishment costs of Sh449.44 million since 2015. Of this amount, Sh25 million was spent during the financial year under review.
Kisumu State Lodge was allocated Sh36.44 million for building refurbishment, raising the total expenditure on the facility since 2015 to Sh124.15 million.
Kakamega State Lodge also underwent refurbishment at a cost of Sh24.84 million during the year, pushing its cumulative bill since 2015 to Sh77.77 million.
The expenditure comes as the government deals with a tight fiscal position, rising debt and demands for reductions in public spending. The figures also bring renewed attention to the amount required to maintain the country’s network of presidential residences and related government facilities.
The Office of the Deputy President was also allocated Sh100 million for refurbishment works during the year.
Half of the amount, Sh50 million, went to the Karen residence. This pushed the cumulative expenditure on the property to Sh287.1 million since 2023.
Another Sh50 million was spent on renovations at other buildings under the Deputy President’s office, bringing the total expenditure on those facilities to Sh148.4 million.
However, despite the funds allocated to the projects, the implementation of works under the Deputy President’s office was found to be slow.
“Analysis of the project implementation under the Office of the Deputy President showed that both projects expected to be completed by June 2027, had recorded slow progress,” the report states.
The State House projects were also still at different stages of implementation, although the government reported progress on the works.
“Analysis of the State House project implementation status revealed steady progress with varying levels of completion,” the report read.