- •Sections of the building have been used by House committees since the election of the current Parliament.
- •Members would move to the building in phases, the relocation slated to be complete by July 1.
Image: FILE
MPs are set to begin occupying sections of the new parliamentary office block – known as Bunge Tower, starting this morning.
At least 42 MPs are set to take up spaces in the new office block, signalling an end to the long wait by members to occupy the prestigious building.
Sections of the building have been used by House committees since the election of the current Parliament.
Details show that President William Ruto is scheduled to officially open the building later this month.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula announced that members would move to the building in phases, starting with the 42.
The 42 have been relocated from the Kenyatta International Convention Centre to pave the way for an upcoming international conference.
The first phase will involve moving MPs from KICC to the tower or other alternative accommodation starting today.
Wetang'ula told MPs that the KICC spaces would be used to accommodate the 2024 annual meetings of the African Development Bank Group.
The meetings are scheduled for May 27 to May 31 and will bring together heads of state and governments among other high-level delegates.
“To accord the delegates appropriate facilitation, the National Treasury has requested Parliament to release 47 offices at KICC to accommodate the dignitaries.”
“To this end, the Parliamentary Service Commission has acceded to the request to temporarily release the offices leased by the commission at KICC,” Wetang'ula said.
He explained that following the move, 42 MPs had been relocated and would now be accommodated at the new building.
MPs currently occupying spaces in Harambee Sacco Plaza who were allocated offices in the tower will immediately relocate to their new offices in Bunge Tower, Wetang'ula said.
“This is intended to create room to accommodate members from KICC who were unsuccessful in the balloting for offices in the Bunge Tower,” he added.
Members with offices at KICC who were allocated offices in Bunge Tower are to be relocated to the assigned offices.
Phase two, the speaker said, would involve the relocation of MPs from Continental House to the tower and the relocation of members from leased offices.
There are indications that Parliament would not lease spaces after July 1, 2024, a move that could save more than Sh300 million spent on the arrangements annually.
Members who were not allocated offices in the Bunge Tower would be accommodated in other buildings within Parliament Square.
“The measures are for the convenience of all members and in preparation for the official opening of the Bunge Tower by the head of state later this month,” Wetang'ula said.
The office complex has four basement parking floors, a reception floor, 24 committee rooms, 338 offices for MPs, a health club, a restaurant, an open garden and a service floor.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu on numerous occasions flagged delays in the completion of the Parliament’s 28-storey office block.