Members of the National Assembly have asked the government to relocate Nakuru State House, citing severe congestion and limited room for expansion in Nakuru.
The matter dominated deliberations before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on National Administration and Internal Security, where State House Comptroller Katoo Ole Metito appeared to defend the proposed allocations and appropriations of the 2026/2027 State House budget estimates.
Nakuru County Woman Representative Liza Chelule led calls for the relocation, arguing that the current facility no longer reflects the stature and dignity of a modern State House.
“The State House is in a very poor position and condition, considering it is just next to the main road to Nairobi,” she told the committee.
Chelule said the residence, located along the busy Nairobi-Nakuru highway and surrounded by high-rise buildings, faces serious limitations that make expansion nearly impossible.
She proposed the acquisition of a larger parcel of land, saying the government should establish a modern facility befitting Nakuru’s city status.
“I am proposing that Nakuru, being a city now, we can get more than 100 acres and relocate so that we come up with the right structures that reflect the stature and dignity of State House,” she said.
Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo acknowledged concerns over the location and lack of space at Nakuru State House.
He said the committee had previously discussed the issue, noting that surrounding developments belonged to legitimate landowners and the county government, making expansion difficult unless the State acquired more land.
“Of course, they are the rightful owners, and the issue of space remains a challenge,” he said.
However, he noted that the current budget had allocated Sh100 million for the renovation of State Houses and State lodges across the country.
Tongoyo suggested part of the allocation could be used to improve facilities at the Nakuru residence as discussions on relocation continue.
“Out of the Sh100 million allocation, we can at least improve that pavilion as we continue discussions on acquiring land or relocating the facility,” he said.
Chelule rejected the proposal, insisting that renovation of the current compound would not solve the underlying challenges.
“We need to get out of that place. Even if we are going to do a pavilion within that space, we are doing completely nothing. Let’s move out of that place,” she said.
Ole Metito told MPs that several State House facilities across the country face infrastructural and physical limitations that make expansion difficult and expensive.
“It is very expensive. You can imagine the noise this country is making when we are just doing one facility. Suppose we picked three in one financial year,” he said.
Metito said the government had prioritised renovation of State House, Nairobi, Mombasa and Eldoret due to their deteriorating condition.
“The problem we are having is that most of these facilities are very old. Some, like Mombasa, have very limited room for expansion,” he said.
The State House Comptroller acknowledged that expansion remained difficult in Nakuru because neighbouring landowners legally owned the surrounding property.
“We also want to expand Nakuru, but there is very little space. The people around are genuine landowners, so we can only engage them to see whether they are willing to sell,” he said.
