Deputy President William Ruto has converted his private Karen home into an hotel pointing to interest the DP in the multi-million
hotel industry in Kenya.
According to sources, the hotel is the branch of Weston hotel situated on Langata Road and is said to provide the 5 star services to top notch clientele.
Situated near Wilson airport, Weston hotel has a120-bed capacity.
"This is an old story, this it has been here for years now .It is only you who has never been here to dine and sleep," a source in the hotel told the Star.
It is not clear if Ruto was anticipating that
the National Land Commission would recommend revocation of
the title deed the 0.773 hac plot where Weston hotel sits .
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority is claiming ownership of the land but in January this year,NLC said while the land belongs to KCAA ,it could not revoke the title deed but instate recommended
that the DP compensate the state agency.
KCAA at the moment is undertaking valuation of the land before billing Ruto for the plot that was valued at Sh300 million as of last year.
Attempts to get a confirmation on when the DP turned his home into an hotel were not successful as his communication secretary David Muginyi opted to keep quiet when the question was put to him.
Ruto and his entire family moved out of his private home which sits a huge land in the exotic Karen estate to the sh 500 million official residence of the Deputy President official
which is just 2km apart soon after renovations were completed in 2013.
Initially, the home costed taxpayer sh 400 million but before the
Ruto's
moved in,a refurbishment worth sh 100 million was carried out in the
imposing structure in the prestigious Karen neighbourhood of Nairobi.
The formica that had been fitted in the main lounge has been peeling off due to "poor workmanship". This is one of the areas to be redone. The lounge also had no air conditioning while the tiles in the veranda were growing mould.
The residence was first completed in
September 2012
and handed over to the then Ministry of Home Affairs ready for occupation.The then Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka however did not move in as it was barely six months to the 2013 general election.
Former President Mwai Kibaki however opted to officially open the house on
November 15, 2012 after which Kalonzo started using its office space and gym facilities.
The DP will also soon have a
second official home in Mombasa.
Currently the government is converting the former residence of the Coast provincial commissioner at a cost of sh 46.5 million
into the official home of Ruto.
In 2017, the government invited contractors to refurbish the house which for long has been unoccupied to befit the status of the deputy president.
It is not
just the Karen home that the DP is converting into hotel but it is also reported that the plush, multi-million-shilling residence in Moiben constituency ,Uasin Gishu county is destined to be an hotel and not private residence as had earlier
been reported.
In 2015, the Star exclusively reported that Ruto was building the sh 1 billion home on 700 acres
but sources in Eldoret now says he will retain
Sugoi home in Turbo constituency as his "village home".
"It cannot be his residential home, from the look of things. This is a massive project and a bet , he would not want to stay in such expansive houses when there are clear indications that his children are moving out,"said another source in Eldoret.
Ruto is also associated with another hotel that is near completion in Mombasa county . The hotel which is said to be part of Weston chain- the former Dolphin Hotel -is
being constructed on a 10-acre parcel at an estimated cost of Sh600 million.
The construction has been going on for two years and is part of Weston Hotel chain but under the name Dolphin Hotel.
Late last year when the Star visited the area, workers were putting final touches on the buildings which have been magnificence designed with the Swahili finishes.