Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu has sparked debate in the Senate after publicly opposing a directive by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) requiring counties to construct official residences for governors.

Governor Irungu raised the objections while appearing before the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) to defend Laikipia County’s revenue and expenditure accounts for the 2024/25 financial year, arguing that the expenditure was unjustified given the hardships faced by residents in rural counties.

In his submission, the Governor dismissed the Sh50 million ceiling set by the SRC for the construction of governors’ residences, saying the amount was inadequate for such a project and that, even if completed, it would impose a heavy financial burden on counties.

“Beyond the construction, the cost of maintaining such facilities is huge,” he said, noting that a governor’s residence would require guest houses, gardeners, security personnel, and domestic staff.

He further questioned the morality of prioritising such spending amid pressing social needs.

“There is a moral aspect to this. How do I spend Sh50 million to put up a mansion while women in some parts of Laikipia walk up to 20 kilometres to access water? How can I construct a mansion when women are giving birth in the bush?” he asked, adding that he had no intention of building the residence.

However, Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu flagged the matter in her report, noting that the county had neither constructed nor budgeted for official residences for the Governor and Deputy Governor.

This, she said, was contrary to an SRC circular dated May 20, 2019, which provides guidelines on housing benefits for governors, deputy governors, and county assembly speakers, and required that official residences be commissioned by June 30, 2022.

The Auditor-General further noted that, in the absence of official residences, the Governor and Deputy Governor continued to receive monthly house allowances of Sh300,000 each, amounting to Sh3.6 million annually—an arrangement deemed irregular and contrary to SRC guidelines.

Defending the county’s position, Governor Irungu insisted that counties should be granted the autonomy to determine their priorities.

“Rural counties should be given the freedom to decide what is best for them based on their needs. The most prudent thing is for the circular to be withdrawn,” he said, calling on the Senate to intervene.

His remarks drew reactions from Senators Enock Wambua and Okongo Omogeni during the meeting chaired by CPAC Vice Chairperson Johnes Mwaruma.

“You don’t intend to comply with the SRC circular?” Senator Wambua asked, arguing that continued payment of house allowances was equally costly.

Senator Omogeni suggested that if counties were not keen on constructing the residences, then the SRC should consider withdrawing the circular altogether.

The committee agreed that the matter should be escalated to the floor of the Senate for debate and determination.

Senator Omogeni proposed that the Council of Governors (CoG) develop a position paper to guide the Senate’s deliberations.

“Maybe the Council of Governors should develop a position paper so that the Senate can intervene,” he said.

Governor Irungu committed to submitting the matter to the Council of Governors for consideration.