• Our leaders are living in luxury as the masses lack housing, hence my sell-off idea
I’ve been following the debate about the amounts being budgeted for the refurbishment of the overrated housing we provide as a nation for our chief employee and his deputy.
As I wrote this, I was trying to think of an organisation where the employees are miles better off than their employers. I have found it impossible to find a system where the person who is hired and paid to look after the interests of their employer lords it over their boss.
The only setup I have come across that allows for this is that of electoral politics. It is only in this arrangement that we have the people’s servants behaving and being treated like the nobility, while those that put them in office are treated like the dirt on the soles of their shoes.
Anyway, when you get right down to brass tacks, the money for the State Houses and State Lodges is still much more than we can afford.
Apologists may say that the reported Sh11.5 billion budgeted for the job covers the period of the previous regime and stretches into the end of the current government. However, I don’t think this makes it any better.
Not when we look at the big picture and see other more pressing issues begging for money. Anyway, has anyone come out to say exactly what is broken and urgently needs fixing at the three State Houses and 10 State Lodges?
Do we know, for instance, if it is the plumbing or the sewage systems? Is it a case of damp and mould on the walls? Are the walls actually crumbling?
Perhaps there are termites eating the wood panelling. Or maybe in light of our current head servant’s green tendencies, they want to modernise the light fittings by getting rid of the crystal chandeliers and replacing them with modern LED ceiling light fixtures.
While we’re at it, it would be great if the tenders for each piece of work and comparative costs were shared with us, the employers. After all, we should be best placed to ensure we are getting value for our money.
We don’t know, and because of the old kasumba that serikali is, in fact, siri kali, I doubt we will ever be told.
However, I have also learnt that no matter how much one complains about such issues in Kenya, once the ball is in motion, the politest response you’ll get is: Uta do?
So instead, let me tell you what I would do if it was up to me. For a start, I would carry out an audit of the state residences and then return them all to the people, except for State House Nairobi.
I would keep the main State House because after all, it is not guaranteed that all future Kenyan heads of state will be immensely wealthy or people with homes in the capital city.
What do I mean by returning them to the people? Well, at this time in our history, the above-mentioned employers need housing more than the employees. All the State Houses and State Lodges are on prime pieces of land across the country, and they could easily make way for affordable housing.
Actually, I would change the affordable housing programme to social housing. The difference here is that social housing is government-subsidised short- and long-term rental housing.
Social housing provides housing for people who are very unlikely to afford private rental market rents in most areas. It provides people across the country with a truly affordable, secure and dignified housing option.
I hear you asking where I would stay when I visit cities and towns across the country, where there are no State Lodges or State Houses.
It is very simple. If we are going to benchmark ourselves with countries such as the US, then as President, my entourage and I would stay in hotels.
In the words of the Points Guy website: “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue might be the most famous address in the US, but the White House isn't the only place where Presidents go to sleep at night.
“On many trips, the President stays at hotels like the rest of us.”