Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has launched a government-wide initiative to audit and optimise the use of public buildings in a move aimed at cutting expenditure on office rentals and improving service delivery.
Koskei on Tuesday chaired the inaugural meeting on the management of government buildings following a Cabinet directive to undertake a comprehensive audit of all government-owned office assets and develop a framework for their efficient utilisation.
The meeting brought together Deputy Head of Public Service Amos Gathecha, Public Works Principal Secretary Joel Arumonyang, his Public Investments and Assets Management counterpart Cyrell Odede and other senior officials.
Koskei said government buildings are strategic public assets that must be fully utilised to deliver value to taxpayers.
"Government buildings are strategic public assets that must be fully utilised to deliver value for taxpayers and support efficient public service delivery," he said.
He said the exercise will establish a government-wide roadmap to maximise the use of existing public buildings, address underutilisation, reduce expenditure on leased office space and guide the rehabilitation of ageing government offices.
"The meeting marked the start of developing a government-wide roadmap and implementation framework to maximise the use of existing government buildings, address underutilisation, rationalise expenditure on leased office space, and guide the rehabilitation of public buildings," Koskei said.
He stressed the need for a long-term policy to strengthen the management and stewardship of government property while ensuring prudent use of public resources.
"We need an enduring policy framework to strengthen the management, utilisation and stewardship of Government property while ensuring prudent use of public resources," he added.
The initiative follows a Cabinet decision made on June 30 to freeze the leasing or hiring of additional government office space pending completion of a nationwide audit of existing public offices.
The directive was approved during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi, as part of wider reforms aimed at reducing government expenditure and improving efficiency in public service delivery.
Under the Cabinet resolution, ministries, departments and agencies are barred from acquiring additional office space until the audit establishes the utilisation levels of existing government buildings.
Cabinet also directed the development of a comprehensive programme to renovate and modernise existing public offices to make them more efficient and better suited for service delivery.
The reforms were informed by findings of a 2025 government audit, which revealed that millions of shillings were being spent on rent for office space while some government-owned buildings remained vacant or underutilised.
The new audit is expected to identify idle public assets, improve occupancy of government buildings and reduce reliance on costly commercial leases.
The government says the exercise is part of broader public sector reforms intended to improve efficiency, strengthen accountability in the management of state assets and ensure taxpayers receive better value for public expenditure.
