According to the report released recently by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the state shall be required to cough out a cool sum of Ksh 5 billion annually, in a bid to buy foreign properties as a way of cutting on budget spent by foreign missions. The colossal amount of money is part of the acquisition plan developed by the ministry, in which the state shall acquire three properties every year and for a period of 15 years.
According to the ministry, austerity measures developed by the government lead to budget cuts, hence causing inadequate and uncertain funding. This makes it hard to acquire, replace and maintain properties. According to the Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs; Ambassador Macharia Kamau, most of the state owned properties in foreign missions are in dilapidated conditions, since they were acquired long time ago and with little or no maintenance. A case in point was the official residence of Kenya’s ambassador in Washington, DC, which had deteriorated roof and with general leakages. The gutters and underground water pipes were extensively corroded.
The position adopted by the Ministry has seen many Kenyans online crying foul and raising suspicion in the plan. Kenyans took to social media to accuse the government of securing excess comfort for salaried individuals at the expense of Kenyans’ pain and sweat. Kenyans suspect this to be another money heist project, meant to steal from the pockets of already impoverished Kenyans. Only three properties costing Ksh 5 billion is outrageous and wanton theft of public property, the netizens averred.
