Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu ignited debate in the Senate after publicly rejecting a directive by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) requiring counties to construct official residences for governors.
Irungu raised the objection on Wednesday while appearing before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) at Parliament Buildings to defend Laikipia County’s revenue and expenditure accounts for the 2024/25 financial year.
He argued that the directive was economically impractical and morally indefensible, particularly for rural counties grappling with basic service delivery challenges.
The SRC circular sets a ceiling of Sh50 million for the construction of a governor’s residence. However, Irungu dismissed the figure as unrealistic, saying it neither reflects the true cost of construction nor the long-term financial burden counties would bear.
“Beyond construction, the cost of maintaining such a facility is enormous,” he said. “You must factor in security, gardeners, domestic staff and guest houses. That becomes a permanent recurrent expenditure.”
The governor questioned the justification of prioritising such spending in counties where residents lack access to essential services.
“There is a moral issue here. How do I justify spending Sh50 million on a mansion when women in parts of Laikipia walk up to 20 kilometres to fetch water? How do I build a mansion when women are still giving birth in the bush?” he posed, adding that he had no intention of constructing the residence.
However, Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu flagged Laikipia County for non-compliance, noting that the county had neither constructed nor budgeted for official residences for the Governor and Deputy Governor.
In her report, Gathungu cited an SRC circular dated May 20, 2019, which provides guidelines on housing benefits for governors, deputy governors and county assembly speakers, and required official residences to be commissioned by June 30, 2022.
She further noted that, in the absence of official residences, the Governor and Deputy Governor continued to receive monthly house allowances of Sh300,000 each, amounting to Sh3.6 million annually—an arrangement deemed irregular and contrary to SRC guidelines.
Defending the county’s position, Governor Irungu maintained that counties should be allowed to determine their own development priorities.
“Rural counties must be given the autonomy to decide what works best for them. The most prudent course of action is for the SRC circular to be withdrawn,” he said, urging the Senate to intervene.
His remarks sparked reactions from committee members, including Senators Enock Wambua and Okongo Omogeni, during the session chaired by CPAC Vice Chairperson Johnes Mwaruma.
Senator Wambua questioned whether continued payment of house allowances was a better alternative, noting that it also placed a financial burden on counties.
Senator Omogeni proposed that if counties were unwilling or unable to construct official residences, the SRC should consider withdrawing the directive altogether.
The committee agreed that the issue warranted broader consideration and resolved to escalate it to the Senate plenary for debate and determination.
Senator Omogeni further suggested that the Council of Governors (CoG) develop a position paper to guide the Senate’s deliberations on the matter.
Governor Irungu said he would submit the issue to the Council of Governors for consideration and possible collective action.
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