Members of the National Assembly have called on the government to consider relocating Nakuru State House, saying the current premises are no longer suitable due to congestion and lack of room for expansion.

The concerns emerged during a meeting of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on National Administration and Internal Security as State House Comptroller Dr Katoo Ole Metito presented the 2026/2027 budget estimates.

Nakuru County Woman Representative Liza Chelule told the committee that the existing State House compound is poorly located and cannot adequately serve a growing city like Nakuru.

“The State House is in a very poor position and condition, considering it is just next to the main road to Nairobi,” she said.

Ms Chelule noted that the residence sits along the busy Nairobi-Nakuru highway and is surrounded by tall buildings, leaving little room for future development.

She proposed that the government acquire a larger parcel of land to establish a modern State House that matches Nakuru’s status as a city.

“I am proposing that Nakuru, being a city now, we can get more than 100 acres and relocate so that we come up with the right structures that reflect the stature and dignity of the State House,” she said.

According to the lawmaker, investing more funds in the current facility would only worsen the congestion problem.

“It is not in the right position. It is squeezed between tall buildings and there is no room for expansion. I think we need to do something different and relocate completely from that place,” she added.

Committee chairperson and Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo acknowledged the concerns raised over the limited space at the Nakuru residence.

He said the committee had previously discussed the issue, noting that neighbouring properties belong to private landowners and the county government, making expansion difficult unless additional land is purchased.

“Of course, they are the rightful owners, and the issue of space remains a challenge,” he said.

Mr Tongoyo, however, said the current budget has set aside Ksh100 million for renovations of State Houses and State lodges across the country.

He suggested part of the funds could be used to improve facilities at Nakuru State House as discussions on relocation continue.

“Out of the Ksh100 million allocation, we can at least improve that pavilion as we continue discussions on acquiring land or relocating the facility,” he said, referring to a pavilion previously used by former President Daniel Arap Moi to host delegations.

But Ms Chelule maintained that renovation alone would not solve the underlying challenges facing the facility.

“We need to get out of that place. Even if we are going to do a pavilion within that space, we are doing nothing completely. Let’s move out of that place,” she said.

Dr Katoo Ole Metito told MPs that several State House facilities across the country are old and face infrastructural limitations that make expansion expensive.

“It is very expensive. You can imagine the noise this country is making when we are just doing one facility. Suppose we picked three in one financial year,” he said.

The Comptroller said the government had prioritised renovations at State House facilities in Nairobi, Mombasa and Eldoret because of their deteriorating condition.

“The problem we are having is that most of these facilities are very old. Some, like Mombasa, have very limited room for expansion,” he said.

On Nakuru State House, Dr Metito said expansion remains difficult because surrounding land belongs to private owners.

“We also want to expand Nakuru, but there is very little space. The people around are genuine landowners, so we can only engage them to see whether they are willing to sell,” he said.

He also revealed that the government had already acquired three additional acres in Eldoret from a willing seller, with the purchase included in the current budget.

Dr Metito defended continued maintenance allocations for State lodges, saying they remain important during presidential tours across the country.

“Even if we focus on two or three facilities, we must still allocate money for routine maintenance on the others so that whenever there is an activity, the State lodge or State House looks presentable,” he said.

The Comptroller further explained that reduced staffing expenditure was linked to the expiry of contracts for nearly 500 employees who had been serving under fixed-term arrangements.