{UAH} Pojim/WBK: Uhuru moves out of home for renovation, house to have bulletproof windows and special sensors | The Star
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Uhuru moves out of home for renovation, house to have bulletproof windows and special sensors
PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta's private home next to State House, Nairobi, is set to become one of the country's most secure premises and installations.
A high-tech electric fence, bulletproof windows and a state-of-the-art alarm system are some of the features being installed in the Kenyattas' home.
The Star has established that the First Family has now moved into State House to allow for the ongoing renovations of their home.
State House Spokesman Manoah Esipisu confirmed to the Star that the President and his family had relocated, but did not divulge additional details.
"We can confirm that the First Family has moved to State House, Nairobi, indeed, to allow for renovations and security upgrades currently underway at the private residence," Esipisu said.
Esipisu also said that the renovations on the Kenyattas' home is being funded privately, but the Star learnt that the new security measures have been developed by the President's security team.
The First Family's private home, which shares a fence with State House, has been under renovation for a number of weeks now.
The house was given to the then Prime Minister, Jomo Kenyatta, by the Aga Khan, its previous owner, in the first week of December 1963, as a fully furnished residence/gift. This was just a week before Independence on December 12.
Other than renovations, the Kenyattas' residence is also receiving a security upgrade similar to that of the State Houses and Lodges.
Evidence of workmanship is evident from State House Road, with an iron sheet perimeter fence erected around the private home.
Insiders say that when the President recently took to working from the Sagana State Lodge, the Nairobi State House was being prepared for the "temporary stay".
It is not clear who the contractor is, but the job, according to insiders, includes erecting a concrete and electric fence around the expansive home on the prestigious Caledonia estate.
"In going by world standards, the President must be as secure anywhere he goes as he is inside State House, which is one of the most secure locations in the country," a source familiar with the developments said.
Kenyatta is also said to have asked that a large lounge be built to accommodate a large number of visitors of an increasing number of delegations wanting to visit him privately.
It is not unusual for a president's private residence to get the kind of security upgrade that Uhuru's is getting, especially with the increase in terror threats.
Uhuru and his family will stay in State House for a couple of months before moving back after the renovations are finished.
Since coming to power in April 2013, Uhuru has preferred to live in his private home, with State House acting as his office.
The only State Houses and Lodges that the President has spent the night in are Mombasa and Sagana, with the latter appearing to be his preferred government premises after Nairobi.
In the first Jubilee Budget, a large chunk from the Presidency's kitty was used for the renovation of State Houses and Lodges, especially Sagana.
The Nairobi State House, which Uhuru preferred to operate from in the first year, also got a major facelift in the first months of his administration.
Uhuru is however not the first President to prefer living in his private home – his father, Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first President, commuted from his Gatundu home for almost 15 years.
The late Kenyatta is said to have never spent a night at State House as it was "haunted by the ghosts of the colonial governors".
Kenya's second president and Uhuru' political mentor Daniel Moi also preferred to live in his Kabarnet Gardens home in Nairobi.
President Mwai Kibaki lived at State House, Nairobi, for 10 years.
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