Kenya's Tribe hotel named among favourites of the British

A Kenyan hotel has been named among five-star hotels that British Public Servants racked up high bills in despite austerity measures being implemented by the UK government.

The public servants have come under scrutiny for spending £1.15 billion (Sh150 billion), an increase of £160 million (Sh20.8 billion) using taxpayer-funded credit cards. The expenses included five-star hotel stay, fine restaurant dining and iPads.

According to the Daily Mail, Tribe Hotel in Nairobi hotel was named in The Freedom on Information figures as one of the five star hotels that The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spent £1,129 (Sh146,770) of tax payers’ money on. The report does not attribute any wrong-doing on the part of the hotels.

An online search shows a night at Tribe Hotel costs approximately $315 (Sh26,460) for a Superior room, $435 (Sh34,800) for a Junior Suite, $464 (Sh37,120) for a Business Suite and $665 (Sh55,860) for an Ambassadorial suite.

The Penthouse goes for about $765 (Sh64,260).

The prices are not fixed and can change depending on demand.

Other hotels named in the report include London Hotels Sherlock Homes £1,694 (Sh220,220) and Odette (£777), Kairaba beach Hotel in Gambia £633 (Sh82,290) and Westin Chosun hotel in South Korea £784 (101,920).

The credit cards are issued to about 150,000 high-ranking staff including BBC executives, civil servants and local authority workers. The Freedom on Information figures showed that the total spent on Government Procurement Cards rose from £987 million in 2010 to £1.15 billion in the last financial year.

The Cabinet Office admitted the spending had increased across the public sector, but insisted that Whitehall departments spending on Government Procurement Cards fell from £322 million in 2010/11 to £290.5 million last year.

The taxpayers bill also included trips to the London Eye by the Home Office and £2,433 (Sh316,290) on iPads by the Office of Rail Regulations.