Leaking roofs, damaged ceilings: Sorry state of Kenyan embassies
The Auditor-General has laid bare the sorry state of Kenyan embassies abroad, giving a hint of how some of these costly properties are wasting away.
From leaking roofs, damaged ceilings, cracked walls, paint peeling and abandoned renovations, the Auditor-General’s audit report paints a picture of inhabitable residences for the country’s top representatives abroad.
Some of the dilapidated embassies are in Nigeria, France, Germany, Tanzania and China.
For instance, the roofs of the Chancery in Abuja, the High Commissioner’s Residence and the staff quarters were leaking and required urgent renovation.
The Kenya Mission building in Berlin had damaged roof and leakages, cracks on the walls, damaged exterior ceiling on the first floor and paint peeling all-round the building among other defects.
“Although, officers from public works visited the Mission and made recommendations on the works required, repairs were yet to be done as at the time of the audit in August, 2024,” the report said.
Additionally, various items from the inventory list were found missing after an inspection of the building following the end of tour of duty by the immediate former Head of Mission [Amb Tom Amolo].
No explanation or evidence of action taken to establish the loss was provided, the report said.
The household items and assets previously used by the envoy, were inadequately stored in the garage, leading to their continued deterioration.
There was no established policy governing the management and handling of household items at the conclusion of an officer’s tour of duty.
The situation is no different in Paris, where physical verification of the chancery and review of the State Department for Public Works assessment and inspection report revealed major cracks on the wall running from the ground floor to the third floor.
The Auditor General further found that the basement and the yard were flooding, as well as ceiling leaks and peeling wall paint.
In addition, the report outlined the poor state of the Ambassador’s residence in Paris with damaged fittings, roof tiles and corroded gutters due to lack of routine maintenance.
No repair works had been done, the report said.
While no major defects were found in the Beijing Chancery that shares a compound with the residence, the report noted there were no CCTV to monitor activities within the building as well as smoke detectors.
There were also no security guards manning the mission.
In neighbouring Tanzania, the Auditor General raised issues with the stalled renovations of two staff houses in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam. The renovations stalled in 2020.
“A site visit revealed that the houses were in a prime location but they had dilapidated over time and the gains from the renovations which were valued at over Tshs.68,470,000 (approximately Kshs.3,400,000) may have been lost,” the Auditor General says.
OWNERSHIP QUERIES
The report also raised an issue with the status and ownership of some of the properties acquired abroad.
The High Commission in Tanzania allocated a five acres parcel of land in Dodoma and a title issued but was yet to be fenced “hence increased risk of encroachment”.
The mission also sold a house belonging to “one of the agencies” for Sh20 million but the amount was yet to be transferred to the State Department of Foreign Affairs for onward transmission to the Exchequer.
The amount was still in a deposit account at the mission without explanation for failure to remit the sale proceeds.
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while Kenya owns the chancery building and the official residence, there is no evidence the Embassy had been included in the ownership document.
The Mission only had copies of the sale agreements.
“The sales agreement dated December, 1996 states under Section 6.2 that the sellers undertake to register the right of ownership to the unit in the name of the Purchaser, at the Lands Registration office, within 24 months of the date of handing over possession.
“However, there was no evidence provided of a registered right of ownership to the sub parcels 11, 12 and 13. In addition, the building did not have any insurance cover,” the report said.
Consequently, the Auditor General said, MFA contravened the Public Finance Management Act, 2012, which requires proper management of assets and liabilities to ensure value for money in acquisition, use and disposal.
STOLEN, GROUNDED VEHICLES
The report also found that a diplomatic vehicle belonging to the Kenya mission in Abuja was stolen in February 2022.
Despite the case being reported, it took too long and the mission was yet to make an insurance claim.
In China, a serviceable car has been grounded for more than four years, losing value in the period.
The vehicle surpassed mileage as per the regulations in China, meaning it could not be insured.
Two vehicles that had been approved for disposal in Berlin remained unsold and continue to deteriorate.
It is not the first time the condition of foreign missions has been flagged.
In May 2023, a National Assembly delegation visited Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and found the conditions wanting.
Led by the vice-chairman of Foreign Affairs and Defence committee for the National Assembly Abdullahi Bashir, the delegation found the residence in Riyadh was dilapidated and recommended funding for renovation.
In the 2022/23 audit report, the Auditor General flagged the construction of a chancery and the High Commissioner’s residence in Pakistan at Sh545.8 million but remained uninhabitable because of their dilapidated state.
It had inadequate drainage, incomplete works on lifts, cracked walls and poor workmanship.
In 2019, the Foreign Affairs committee also found missions to South Korea, China, Japan, Geneva, Australia, Russia, Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles and Ottawa, in bad condition. The Treasury allocated Sh700 million for the renovations.
