The National Treasury cancelled the construction, refurbishment and renovation of government buildings abroad due to budget cuts necessitated by the rejection of Finance Bill 2024.
For the year ending June 30, 2025, the government had envisioned refurbishing 15 buildings housing Kenyan diplomats abroad.
In Supplementary Estimates 1 for the 2024/25 financial year, only the construction and renovation in Pretoria, South Africa was marked as complete since the budget cuts were instituted when the building was already 100 per cent refurbished.
Buildings affected by the budget cuts are located in; Mogadishu, (Somalia), Washington DC (United States), two in London (United Kingdom), Abuja (Nigeria), and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).
Other buildings are located in Islamabad (Pakistan), Rome (Italy), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), New York (United States), Lusaka (Zambia), Kampala (Uganda), and Hague (Netherlands).
In Mogadishu, the government suspended construction and refurbishment of an office block which was 70 per cent complete.
In the United States, Kenya had budgeted to renovate government-owned properties within Washington DC as well as those located in New York.
For London, the taxpayer was to foot the bill for upgrading and renovating the ambassador’s residence as well as the purchase of Chancery.
In Nigeria, the government had already renovated 60 per cent of its Chancery in Abuja when the project was abruptly abandoned.
In Dar es Salaam, the Treasury had initially budgeted for the renovation of the ambassador's residence while in Pakistan, the government had envisioned widening its diplomatic presence in the region by constructing a Chancery in Islamabad.
In the same vein in Rome, Kenya has abandoned renovating its Chancery with only 10 per cent of works remaining.
Significant sums of money were to be used in the renovation of government-owned properties in Kinshasa, Lusaka and Addis Ababa.
In Kampala, money had been budgeted for alterations of Chancery and security enhancement while in Hague, only 10 per cent of repairs had been done at the ambassador’s residence before the project was abandoned.
