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Uhuru to move more office work to Harambee House


President Uhuru Kenyatta is planning to move more of his office operations to Harambee House in a move calculated to allow him to work from a much accessible location and tighten his grip on public servants.

According to reports on the Sunday Nation, several senior officials in the Presidency who have been operating from State House will be relocated permanently to Harambee House from next month to actualise the move.

President Kenyatta, who has been mostly working from State House, will now mostly be operating from Harambee House, leaving State House for ceremonial functions and events like Cabinet meetings.

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and staff working under her office will, however, remain in State House where they have an office.

In the last few days, workers have been clearing the President’s Harambee House office where the office of the Interior Principal Secretary and two other PSs are being relocated to the seventh floor from the fourth floor in the building to create room for senior State House staff and their aides.

Renovation in most of the offices being cleared was on Saturday going on in anticipation for the new changes.

Sources familiar with the anticipated changes, who spoke in confidence, said the President’s staff will now be housed in the first four floors of the Harambee House offices.

President Kenyatta will maintain occupancy in the exclusive presidential office used by his predecessors Mwai Kibaki and Daniel Moi.

SUPERVISORY ROLE

Top government officials including Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, Senior Constitutional and Legislative Adviser Abdikadir Mohammed and Senior Political Adviser Nancy Gitau, among others, are expected to move there.

Various directorates of the Presidential Strategic Communications Unit will also have their offices moved to Harambee House with only the State House Spokesman retaining a permanent base at State House.

But when asked about the move, State House Spokesman Manoah Esipisu said:

“The President works from his offices at Harambee House and State House. No changes are envisaged to this arrangement.”

However, other senior government officials in the know told the Sunday Nation that the plan is aimed at enhancing State operations.

“He wants to enhance his supervisory role to ensure work is done and there is faster intervention on issues from where things happen,” said a top government official.

Previously, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru also relocated to Harambee House from the Treasury.

The decision has been precipitated by key challenges facing the Jubilee government including security.