ITUMBI DEFENDS MOVE TO OCCUPY FORMER PRESIDENT'S NYARI OFFICE

Head of the Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Coordination docket, Dennis Itumbi has now occupied the Nyari office in Gigiri — a facility initially set aside for retired President , the late Mwai Kibaki and later issued to his successor, Uhuru Kenyatta.

The Nyari office was acquired in 2013 at KSh 250 million, with the purpose of serving as Kibaki’s official post-retirement office. However, the incumbent Ex- President Kenyatta opted for his private Caledonia residence leaving the Nyari premises dormant.

Confirming the relocation, State House said the decision was about making better use of public resources. “It is prudent to utilize government facilities for official work rather than let them gather dust,” a spokesperson explained, dismissing criticism of wasteful spending.

Itumbi defended the move, framing it as a proper way of utilizing such properties for public service, “Leaving such a building idle until 2032 under the guise of waiting for a retired president is unacceptable. Government infrastructure must serve the public."

The Nyari complex is fully funded by taxpayers as per the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act of 2003 and reallocating it to a serving government official seems a strategic way of expenditure reduction - aside from leaving it unused.

For Itumbi, the transfer marks not just a shift in address but a statement on efficiency in government — putting dormant state resources back into active use.