By Kampala, Uganda — Foreign Affairs Minister Gen Jeje Odongo has called upon the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to approve a Shs6 billion supplementary budget for the restoration of Uganda House in Nairobi, Kenya. The building was damaged by anti-tax protesters in June.
Addressing Parliament, Gen Odongo stated, “I pray that this honorable committee approves a supplementary budget allocation of Shs6 billion for the restoration of Uganda House in Nairobi, Kenya, to provide adequate office space for staff at the mission and generate the anticipated Non-Tax Revenue (NTR) for the country.” He emphasized the financial benefits of the restoration, noting that full occupancy of the renovated building is projected to generate Shs4 billion in NTR.
The six-floor Uganda House, located on Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi’s central business district, was partially damaged by fire on June 25. Renovation works, managed by Ambitious Construction Company, were already underway and were expected to be completed by June 28. However, the fire incident has delayed the project’s completion.
Gen Odongo, along with Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Mr. Vincent Bagiire, briefed the committee on the status of the building. Mr. Bagiire informed the committee that Ambitious Construction Company had insured the Uganda House project at the start of the renovation works. Despite this, no insurance report was made available to the MPs.
Legislators requested an assessment report from the insurer to inform the committee’s decision. However, the government indicated that obtaining a comprehensive report might take up to two years. “It was our duty to determine the extent of the damage. According to the consultants, the damage is estimated to be worth around Shs6 billion,” Mr. Bagiire stated. He added that the insurance company had begun an inquiry into the fire incident.
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Muwada Nkunyingi insisted on detailed reports about the fire incident before making any conclusive decisions. “This statement will cause us a challenge when the official report about the fire comes. As a committee of Parliament, we don’t want to engage in what came up as a verbal conversation [between ministry and Kenyan officials] yet it is on record that investigations into the same matter are still going on,” Mr. Nkunyingi asserted.
Committee chairperson Ms. Catherine Lamwaka ruled that no immediate discussions would proceed regarding the Shs6 billion request. The committee resolved to conduct an on-site inspection of the Nairobi facility and review all relevant documents related to the matter.
Ministry officials were instructed to submit all related documents to Parliament by the end of the day, including insurance cover details and contract agreements with Ambitious Construction Company.
