By Dorothy Musyoka
The National Assembly Committee on Sports and Culture has rejected a request by the State Department for Culture, Arts, and Heritage for Ksh. 150 million to relocate staff at Bomas of Kenya.
The relocation was intended to facilitate the planned facelift of the facility.
The Committee, chaired by Hon. Dan Wanyama (Webuye West), deemed the request unnecessary and an avenue for potential misappropriation of public funds.
While presenting the 2025 Budget Policy Statement, Principal Secretary for Culture, Arts, and Heritage, Ms. Ummi Bashir, explained that the department planned to reconstruct Bomas of Kenya into a modern cultural hub.
“Relocation of staff to temporary offices during the construction process requires Ksh. 150 million. We request the Committee’s intervention to allocate these funds to facilitate the process,” said Ms. Bashir.
She added that the reconstruction of Bomas of Kenya was funded by a donor.
However, Committee members dismissed the request, questioning the necessity of such a significant amount for relocation.
Suba South MP, Hon. Caroli Omondi, argued that the contractor handling the reconstruction should bear the cost of staff relocation.
“The company awarded the tender for the reconstruction should foot the bill for relocating the staff. This should not be an extra burden on taxpayers,” said Hon. Omondi.
The Committee also scrutinized the department’s overall budget, noting that out of Ksh. 3,541.52 million allocated for the 2025/26 Financial Year, only Ksh. 90 million was set aside for development.
Hon. Mary Emaase questioned the department’s priorities, stating, “Why allocate only Ksh. 90 million for development out of a budget exceeding Ksh. 3 billion? What are your priorities as a department?”
Ms. Bashir also revealed that national heroes, such as the late broadcaster Leonard Mambo Mbotela, could not be honoured because the Treasury had not allocated the requested Ksh. 50 million for the establishment of a Heroes Fund.
PS for the State Department of Sports, Mr. Peter Tum, noted that the department had been allocated Ksh. 1,581.4 million, an increase from the initial request of Ksh. 1,459.4 million.
The additional Ksh. 122 million included: Ksh. 72 million for the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, Ksh. 50 million for the Kenya Academy of Sports
Meanwhile, PS for Youth and the Creative Economy, Mr. Ismail Madey, highlighted that Ksh. 738.7 million was allocated for the Film Services Programme, comprising Kshs. 662 million for recurrent expenses and Ksh. 76.7 million for development.
The Committee urged the State Department for Culture, Arts, and Heritage to reassess its spending priorities and ensure that budget allocations align with critical development goals.