President packs his bags and moves into house on the hill

President Uhuru Kenyatta has moved from his private residence on Nairobi’s Dennis Pritt Road to State House to allow major construction work and a security upgrade.

In the last few weeks, corrugated iron sheets have been erected around the fence of the President’s private residence, sandwiched between Dennis Pritt Road and State House.

Sources initially told the Sunday Nation that a wall was being built to enhance security at the house that is cheek by jowl with the road, but indications now are that construction of a new house has begun in the compound after the main building was demolished.

President Kenyatta has been living at his private house, inherited from his father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, and which could be accessed directly from State House.

But his office is at State House where he regularly receives delegations and holds Cabinet meetings. 

SEAT OF POWER

A State House spokesman, Mr Munyori Buku, agreed to answer some questions from the Sunday Nation but declined to confirm information provided by anonymous sources.

However, multiple sources indicate that by the time Mr Mwai Kibaki left office in 2013 — after a two-term presidency that started with the starry-eyed Narc administration of 2003 and ended with the cantankerous Grand Coalition — State House, considered the ultimate seat of power and privilege in Kenya’s political milieu, is said to have been unkempt.

“The grass had grown to knee-length and the hedges were untrimmed. Some parts of the main house were dirty. In a word, State House was untidy,” said a long-serving civil servant who spoke in confidence, adding that even the curtains had to be changed.

The state of affairs was largely attributed to then First Lady Lucy Kibaki, who was said to have hounded most of the staff out of the House.
Not even the State House Comptroller, the most senior official in the residence, was spared back then.

In incidents that became public knowledge, Mr Matere Keriri, Mr Kibaki’s friend and confidant, was the first to be unceremoniously kicked out followed by Mr Hyslop Ipu and later Dr Nelson Githinji (now director of the National Youth Service).

Mrs Kibaki, however, seemed to have assumed a low profile during her husband’s second term and rarely appeared in public. “The First Lady was unpredictable, and did not like having too many people around,” said the staffer.

According to an official whose experience straddles both the Kibaki and Uhuru administrations, even the kitchen was bare.
Whenever there were visitors, food would be brought from a five-star hotel.

In 2012, Mr Kibaki’s spokesman, Mr Isaiah Kabira, was forced to deny “inaccurate reports ... that trivialise State House operations” after information emerged that the head chef had been sacked.

Under President Kenyatta, normalcy seems to have resumed in the State House kitchen. Indeed, last year, some members of the Presidential Strategic Communication Unit (PSCU) stirred some interest on social media when they posted a photograph taken at State House in which they posed with a man they identified as the President’s chef.

In contrast, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta is described as “likeable and humble”. She has made a name for herself for organising the Beyond Zero marathon in the last two years to raise funds for maternal health, and completing the London Marathon last year.

Our sources say she enjoys jogging around the State House grounds on most mornings and rarely interferes with the staff.
Unlike the First Lady, President Kenyatta has not been spotted engaging in any outdoor exercises. That is perhaps why Deputy President William Ruto has in the past publicly taunted him to go to the gym.

Mr Ruto ran this year’s Beyond Zero marathon and has, in a number of interviews, revealed that the gym is part of his daily routine.
The First Lady, who has office space at the National Social Security Fund building, prefers to work from State House where she meets delegations and runs her charity activities.

President Kenyatta is also described by the staff who spoke to us as a gentleman who always stops to greet and chat with his staff when he is strolling on the grounds.

“He always says ‘hi’ by waving or shaking your hand with a firm grip and asking ‘Mambo namna gani?’ or ‘Mambo sawa sawa?’ (Is everything alright?),” says a State House staffer who requested anonymity.

Mr Jomo Gecaga, the President’s private secretary, is constantly at his boss’s side. The other officials who work closely with the President daily are Chief of Staff Joseph Kinyua, State House Comptroller Lawrence Lenayapa and members of the communications team headed by Mr Manoah Esipisu.

“As private secretary, Mr Gecaga deals with crucial and critical matters and is the interface between the private and the official,” said Mr Buku.

Mr Gecaga worked as a personal assistant to the President while he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance. He also worked in the ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served as personal assistant to Senator Moses Wetang’ula, then the minister.

Multiple interviews indicated that the President does not usually hold early morning meetings.

But, according to Mr Buku, the President is an early riser who starts his day at about 5 a.m. and stays up until 1 a.m. at times.

“He is very hands-on and believes that as Head of State, he must be on top of things,” said Mr Buku. “He believes he must give clear direction on many national matters and his sole goal is to change the welfare of Kenyans for the better.”

In a previous interview with the Sunday Nation, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku said the President would even call him late in the night to keep abreast of matters security and described him as “very firm”.

According to Mr Buku, the President’s family members are hardly seen at State House and he keeps his relations on that side “very private”.

President Moi was often said to be an early morning riser who would be in his office at State House, meticulously dressed, from as early as 5 am.

His successor was, however, portrayed as a man who was saddled with the health effects of a road accident during the 2002 election campaigns. Mr Kibaki is said to have often woken up late.

SOFT AND ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

One apparent change from the Kibaki years is that the canteen at State House has once again been fully stocked with soft and alcoholic drinks for invited guests.

Mr Kibaki had stopped drinking and that is said to have influenced the decision to make State House alcohol-free.    

Renovations have been made to a gazebo in the grounds and two men said to be specialists in preparing nyama choma have been hired.

“Beef — boiled or roasted and prepared the same way as any local pub — is his favourite meal,” says a source close to the presidency. 

Even though sources say security has been heightened at State House, interviews with staffers indicate there is confusion over some of those who have access. Some of them are said to be the President’s friends while others were involved in the Jubilee campaigns.

A recent example that attracted public attention was the uncertainty over the role of Mr Patrick Ngatia, who was thought to be a State House official in charge of liaison.

He, however, later clarified he was the President’s personal employee and was not on the government’s payroll.