VP to move into new official house by April

The residence that Dimken Kenya Limited was building for the Vice-President in Karen, Nairobi. Photos/FILE 

By WALTER MENYA wmenya@ke.nationmedia.comPosted Monday, December 27 2010 at 21:00

In Summary

• New contractor, Italbuild Imports, to complete work in February, says PS

Mr Moody Awori would have been the first person to occupy the new official Vice-President’s residence had Dimken (K) Ltd finished construction work on time.

However, the company failed to meet its deadline and Mr Awori left office before he could move in.

Now, a new company has been given the job of completing the project. If the work is done on time, the current VP, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, could occupy the house for at most 18 months.

According to the Ministry of Public Works, Italbuild Imports is expected to complete the job in February.

Public Works permanent secretary John Lonyangapuo estimates that the VP would occupy the house in April to allow two months for furnishing and installation of security systems.

By the time Mr Musyoka finally moves in, it would have taken six years to complete the house, whose tender was awarded in July 2005.

“It is going on well since we terminated Dimken’s contract and the new contractor took over,” Prof Lonyangapuo told the Nation.

“In February, the contractor will be handing over the keys to the government to allow the Vice-President to move in by April.”

When President Kibaki came to power in 2003, he sought to give the country’s Number Two a decent, official residence. Thus the process to get an official residence for his deputy, Mr Michael Wamalwa, was put in place.

The Public Works ministry was tasked with the job of identifying a suitable place measuring at least five acres in the leafy estates of Muthaiga, Lavington or Karen.

A 10-acre plot in Karen with essential services such as an all-weather road, water, electricity and telephone was identified.

Initially, the official estimate stood at Sh224 million and the government invited bidders in May 2005.

Dimken was recently wound-up over a debt of Sh197 million. The cost of putting up the building has gone up to Sh383 million from Dimken’s initial quotation of Sh197 million.