Kisumu begins construction of Sh34m assembly speaker residence

Kisumu county has begun the construction of the official residence of county assembly speakers at a cost of Sh34 million.

The house is set to be completed within six months. Governor Anyang' Nyong'o and assembly speaker Elisha Oraro on Thursday presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction works.

The county government provided the assembly with the land to construct the home in Milimani area next to Kisumu State Lodge.

The county government had demolished a house on the site to pave the way for construction of the new house. The project ought to have been done by 2014 but was marred by politics and personal interest.

In August 2020, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, in a letter to all county secretaries and clerk of county assemblies, gave June 30, 2022 deadline for leasing of houses (governors, deputy governors and speakers).

“The counties are, therefore, reminded to hasten the construction of the houses by allocating funds and prioritising construction,” read the letter.

In May 2019, the commission extended the period of paying rent for residences of the three county officials to June 30, 2022, to allow for the construction of the houses.

In guidelines by the commission, the county governments were to identify sites for setting up the official residences out of the county-owned land.

The speakers' residences should be on a parcel no more than one acre and should cost a maximum of Sh35 million.