Bomas of Kenya
The government has dismissed former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s claim that the historic Bomas of Kenya has been sold to a Turkish national.
In a statement released on Monday, March 10, Culture, Arts and Heritage Principal Secretary Ummi Bashir refuted the claims, stating that the famous national heritage site had not been sold to anyone.
“By dint of Executive Order of Government No 2 of 2023, Bomas of Kenya was placed under the State Department for Culture, the Arts and Heritage.
“I am therefore shocked by the allegations made by the former Deputy President with regard with the sale of Bomas of Kenya to a Turkish national. The State Department for Culture, the Arts and Heritage stands to categorically refute this allegation. Bomas of Kenya has not been sold to anyone,” PS Bashir said.
She went on to say the upgrading Bomas was approved by the Cabinet as part of a plan to refurbish and upgrade the existing facilities.
“The idea of refurbishing and upgrading Bomas of Kenya is not new and has been in consideration for the past 10 years. Nevertheless, it is the current administration that has given impetus to its actualisation,” PS Bashir stated.
Bashir further assured Kenyans that the ownership of Bomas will not change, noting that it remains to be a government facility
“The State Department for Culture, the Arts and Heritage assures the public that Bomas of Kenya will remain a Government facility. Its ownership shall not change, as it is held in trust on behalf of the People of the Republic of Kenya, for posterity,”
On Sunday, Gachagua claimed that the government had approved the sale of Bomas and he was the only one who opposed the selling of the heritage site to a private individual.
“I was the only one who stood up and said that Bomas of Kenya is a national heritage and we cannot sell it. It has been sold to a Turkish national who is a business partner of a very senior person in this government, you all know him. That Bomas is gone,” he said.
