After 14 years since the commissioning of construction of the multi-billion-dollar Bunge Towers, during the Mwai Kibaki era, it is finally complete and ready for occupation by Kenyan legislators.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has granted approval for Members of Parliament to relocate their offices to the Bunge Towers, effective Thursday, April 11th.
He clarified that the Parliamentary Service Commission had confirmed that all the offices for Members of Parliament would be fully prepared for occupation by the end of the week.
“PSC is expediting the completion of Bunge Tower in order to bridge the deficit in office accommodation for members,” Wetangula said in a statement.
As per his directives, the Sh. 9.26 billion, 28-storey building constructed for lawmakers will be occupied in two phases, with the first phase scheduled to start on April 11th. This should align with the Allocation Schedule prepared by the Clerk of the National Assembly.
“Phase one will involve moving members from KICC to the Tower or other alternative accommodation. This will commence on Thursday, April 11th,” he added.
Furthermore, parliamentarians who currently have offices at the Harambee SACCO Plaza are expected to start transitioning into the new building promptly.
The second part will start on July 1st, 2024. MPs from Continental House will relocate to the Tower. Wetangula said only MPs with assigned offices will be allowed to move.
A previous report indicated that the building only has 331 offices, of which, Wetangula indicated that 280 will go to the National Assembly while 51 are preserved for the Senate.
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Earlier, he had announced that legislators without offices would receive a monthly allowance of Sh. 57,000 to secure accommodation in the city centre.
The building which was expected to take 3 years to construct has gone on to take 14 years. It comes with a range of top amenities which include a gym, a beauty parlor and a restaurant.
Additionally, it has 26 committee meeting rooms where members will conduct their sessions. The standout feature is an underground tunnel which will link the parliament building to Bunge Towers, ostensibly for the security and comfort of MPs.