Completion of the controversial Mitihani House has been extended by another two years to 2027, making it one of the longest work-in-progress projects in Kenya.
This means the new offices for the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec), which was mooted on September 30, 1985, will take a record 42 years to be completed, the Ministry of Education has projected in a newly published report published by the National Treasury.
It now expects the building to be completed on June 29, 2027, a revision from an earlier projection of June 29, 2025.
This is likely to delay further the completion of a project that has been under construction under three administrations, starting from that of the country's second president the late Moi. The stalled project has been the subject of several probes by lawmakers.
The Mitihani House project was to consolidate all Knec activities under one roof in South C, off Mombasa Road in Nairobi.
The Ministry says the building is meant to provide adequate office space to accommodate all Knec operations and improve coordination.
Currently, Knec operates in five locations (NHC house, Caledonia, Industrial Area, South C and Bollore Warehouse).
“The project will result in a reduction in transport, coordination, and other logistical costs. ICT integration will also be enhanced,” reads the report.
The report published on National Treasury’s website shows that the project is only 60 percent complete, and is set to be done in 2027.
The incomplete project has been implemented through eight contracts, with the report showing that already Sh2.82 billion has been paid out, leaving a balance of Sh1.85 billion.
The initial budgeted cost of the building in 1986 was Sh248.9 million, but this has since ballooned to Sh4.67 billion.
Many Knec employees, according to Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu, have since moved to the new building, even though it is indicated as only 60 percent.
In the financial year ending June 2023, Knec spend Sh95,224,575 on staff housing and office accommodation. The National Housing Corporation (NHC), which owns Knec’s old offices, received rent amounting to Sh12,193,555 for three quarters of the financial year under review, said Gathungu.
The rent covered office spaces on the upper mezzanine floor, 3rd floor, and 4th floor of the NHC building, together with parking and service charges.
However, the auditor general noted that only the 4th floor was still occupied by Knec staff as all other employees had relocated to the New Mitihani House in South ‘C’.
“Management explained that the Council continued to pay rent for the unoccupied floors because they were yet to be occupied by another tenant,” said Gathungu.
“However, the lease agreement did not have such a provision and it is not clear why the Council had not reached an agreement with the landlord for early termination of the lease for the unoccupied floors,” added Gathungu.
Smelling a rat, MPs called on the Auditor-General last year to conduct a special project audit, calling for the past Knec chief executives to be held accountable for the billions sunk into the project during their tenures.
Last year, the project did not receive any funds from the exchequer. It was last funded in the financial year ending June 2022, when the building was allocated Sh500 million to push the total allocation to Sh2.819 building.
