NAIROBI, Kenya — Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi is facing mounting parliamentary resistance over his office’s proposed Sh280 million refurbishment, with lawmakers questioning the timing, necessity, and use of public funds amid ongoing calls for government austerity.
The Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary (OPCS) appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security to defend the request under the Supplementary Estimates I for the 2025/26 financial year.
Joash Dache cited security concerns highlighted by the National Intelligence Service as justification for the expenditure.
However, MPs challenged the proposal, noting that the National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC) had previously advised against additional funding to the office in the 2026 Budget Policy Statement (BPS).
Lawmakers criticised the logic of upgrading a leased facility, with Saku MP Dido Rasso questioning the classification of the request as emergency expenditure, and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma terming it an abuse of the supplementary budgeting framework.
The OPCS offices, currently housed at the Kenya Railways headquarters, are described as dilapidated, but the absence of the NIS report to substantiate security claims weakened the argument.
MPs also highlighted the cumulative Sh363 million already spent on renovations since 2023, warning that approving additional funds could inflate the OPCS budget by more than 70pc.
The standoff occurs as the OPCS is slated to receive Sh827 million for recurrent expenditure in 2026/27, with no provision for capital spending.
Parliamentary committees emphasised that further refurbishment of leased premises should not be financed by public funds, reflecting broader concerns over budget formulation, planning accuracy, and fiscal discipline within the executive.
