Kabarnet Gardens: How Moi turned VP's official residence into a private property

Details have emerged of how former President Daniel Moi, who died on Tuesday, turned the official residence of Vice President into a private property.

It’s reported that Moi’s Kabarnet Gardens home was the official residence of the serving Vice President during the reign of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the county’s first President.

Oginga Odinga and Joseph Murumbi, the country’s first and second VPs respectively, lived in the palatial home located near Kibera slums, on Ngong Road, Nairobi.

Moi moved into the house when Kenyatta appointed him his third VP in 1967.

When he became acting President before being fully installed as Kenya’s second head of state in October 1978, following the demise of the founding father, he moved to State House.

Moi, however, did not vacate the house for Mwai Kibaki, who he had appointed his Vice President.

This was the case with the subsequent holders of the office of the VP, and the place ended up being Moi’s private home.

In his entire 24-year-reign as President, Moi operated from State House during the day but retreated to his Kabarnet ‘own home’ in the evening.

“Not a single day for all the time I knew him and worked with him did he ever sleep in State House. He retreated to Kabarnet Gardens whenever he was in Nairobi, and Kabarak when in Nakuru,” former State House Comptroller Franklin Bett was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

Since Moi's death at the Nairobi Hospital on Tuesday morning, politicians have been flocking the Kabarnet residence to condole with his family. 

When Narc formed the government after the 2002 elections that saw Moi’s preferred successor Uhuru Kenyatta defeated, Kibaki, who won the polls, attempted to recover the property.

But he was reportedly prevailed on by close allies, who advised him not revisit or recover the house from the person who handed over power to him.

Following the advice, Kibaki’s government resolved to build a new residence for Vice President in Karen in 2005.

A Sh197 million tender was awarded to Dimken Kenya Ltd to construct the home. The tender was later terminated and a new tender awarded to Italbuild Import for Sh383 million to do the works.

Former VP Kalonzo Musyioka was supposed to be the first person to occupy the new home constructed on 10 acres but never moved in.

The structure comprises a main house, office block, guesthouse, swimming pool, guy, generator house and comptroller’s unit.

It also has a security unit with armoury, domestic staff quarters, pump house, water treatment plant, borehole and water tank.

Deputy President William Ruto, who currently resides there, is the first occupier of the palatial home.