Renovated Nairobi State House ‘resembles’ Machakos County headquarters

When President William Ruto hosted the President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Embalo at State House in Nairobi over the weekend, there was one thing that stood out: the renovated Nairobi State House.

The renovations at the Nairobi State House have stripped down the colonial heritage. The old roofing that spotted a red tiled roof has been replaced by a white hidden flat roof that has drawn comparisons with the Machakos County headquarters that also spot a similar white hidden roof.

The renovations have evoked ranging debate with one school of thought criticizing what has been termed as the violation of a historical building. On the other hand, others have claimed that the building needed a fresh look.  Bizna Kenya sampled some these opinions as follows:

“Historic buildings in Kenya should not only be protected from demolition but also from extensive alteration especially on the exterior. State House Nairobi now resembles Machakos County Headquarters (below). If we allow rampant alterations, in future another leader will also come with his/her own taste. And eventually, the original design will slowly fade away,” remarked historian Opiyo Levin Odhiambo.

“Sir Herbert Baker’s masterpiece (Government House), now State House, has been violated. Gone is a heritage, an insult to history, and it makes no sense. We have grabbed our national heritage and violated it. I never thought we could go this low. I am sad,” commented John Kamau, a historian, journalist and the author of the biography Kibaki: 50 Years of Service.

“A refurbishment sits better than the construction of a new one. To be honest, it needed a facelift, it was quite drab and damp, that’s why past presidents didn’t fancy living in it. Hopefully this and future presidents will enjoy living in an updated fit-for-purpose State House,” commented human rights activist Joy Mdivo.

“This National Heritage deserved preservation with only necessary repairs /  maintenance for generations to come. There are enough grounds for construction of this new monstrosity,” commented Senior Counsel Paul Muite.

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“No, that was not our heritage, it will never be our heritage; it’s a colonial relic at best, it was built by the colonialists or at best imperialists; now this is our heritage, the way we want it. As much as I don’t like this regime, I love the new State House. Kuddos to the Kenyan workers,” commented Lynus Oure.