Auditor General Edward Ouko revealed that Kenyan diplomats abroad have been paying rent worth Ksh 2.3 billion after being forced to rent residential houses.
Diplomats from the Kenyan Embassy in Washington DC, New York and London were forced to rent houses after the government neglected to repair the initial houses allocated to the envoys.
"No proper justification has been given for leasing residential houses considering that the Government of Kenya has houses for the ambassadors in New York and London except for failure to maintain these properties in habitable conditions," stated Mr Ouko.
Parliament, through a report, had recently raised concerns over the state of the Chancery building housing the Kenyan Embassy in Washington DC which had worsened over the years.
"The wooden windows have deteriorated with passage of time and battering by elements of weather and require to be replaced with modern aluminium glazed windows. This being a historical building, care must be taken to preserve the nature of facades," read the report by the parliament committee.
Mr Ouko further stated that the government could have done more to ensure the buildings are maintained as reported by Nation.
"An expenditure of Sh 2.3 billion on lease of properties abroad could have been minimised if there was a clear policy on purchase or construction of government-owned properties for the missions," remarked the Auditor-General.
The committee had called for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make renovations or bring down the building during their Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.
The request by the committee aimed to save on the cost of rent used during the missions by building more staff houses.
They further requested for funds to be allocated for the complete repair of the roof of the Chancery building that was first constructed in the 1930's.
