Members of Parliament have begun moving into their new offices at Bunge Towers, Parliament Buildings, after years of construction marred by allegations of tender wars.
The MPs began occupying the building following communication by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetang’ula during the afternoon sitting on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, which was also the day the House resumed sittings following a short recess.
In his communication, Speaker Wetang’ula said the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) was keen to expedite the completion of Bunge Tower to bridge the deficit in office accommodation for members of Parliament.
“With respect to the facilitation of members, the PSC is expediting the completion of the Bunge Tower in order to bridge the deficit in office accommodation for members.
Consequently, PSC has established that members’ offices in the building will be ready for occupation by the end of this week,” Wetang’ula said.
The move is, however, expected to be phased in as guided by a schedule of allocation prepared by the Clerk of the National Assembly.
Phase one, which commenced on Thursday, April 11, 2024, involved legislators moving from the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
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Phase two, which will run from July 1, 2024, will see the relocation of members from Continental House and leased offices into the new building.
Members who were accommodated at the KICC are expected to release their offices to give room for high-level dignitaries attending the 2024 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, scheduled to run from May 27 – 31, 2024.
According to Speaker Wetang’ula, some of the dignitaries expected to occupy the 47 offices that the National Treasury requested Parliament for, are Heads of States and governments.
Bunge Tower is set to be officially opened by President William Ruto this month. The building, which sits next to Parliament buildings, was meant to have been completed within just three and half years, but nearly fourteen years later, the building has still been under construction.
Costing a whopping Ksh.9.26 billion to construct, the building comes with a set of luxurious amenities for Kenyan legislators, including a gym, a beauty parlor and a restaurant.
It will also house committee rooms where members will conduct their businesses.
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