A section of Members of Parliament were left stranded on Monday, May 12, 2025, after being locked out of their offices at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) due to unpaid rent arrears.
When the lawmakers returned to work after a long weekend, they were met with locked doors, no electricity, and unusable washrooms, which paralysed operations at the premises.
KICC management, through its security personnel stationed at the main gate, turned away both MPS and their staff, denying them access to the building.
The unexpected move caused confusion and frustration among the lawmakers, who rely on these offices for their day-to-day parliamentary duties.
Notable MPs caught up in the chaos include Embakasi East legislator Babu Owino, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, Budget Committee Chair and Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi, and Nyandarua Senator John Methu.
These lawmakers, among others, are part of the large group of parliamentarians and staff who occupy more than half of the office space at KICC.
KICC management not only locked the offices but also cut off the power supply and closed the washroom facilities, further compounding the disruption.
The parking area assigned to the legislators and their staff at the COMESA grounds, which is usually packed with vehicles, remained largely deserted on Monday.
Efforts by parliamentary leadership to intervene and negotiate temporary access to the offices, pending the full settlement of the amount owed before the end of the 2024/2025 financial year in July, were unsuccessful.
KICC management maintained its stance that access would only be restored once the outstanding arrears were fully paid.
Parliamentary leadership reaction
The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) has since issued a response, stating that it has been working to clear the rent arrears. According to the PSC, the bulk of the debt, dating back to 2023, has already been settled, with only a balance of Ksh 50M remaining.
Homa Bay Town MP has now come out to react to this, saying that there is enough space at Bunge Towers, but some MPS insist on offices at KICC
“Lock all the offices. @parliamentkenya has enough office spaces for MPS at Bunge Towers, but some MPS insist on offices at KICC and other places away from the precincts to engage in corruption,” Kaluma said.
KICC has long served as a landlord for MPS, senators, and governors, leasing office space as part of its operations. In 2024, over 40 MPS had offices at the facility. The PSC noted that it had paid Ksh 134M in past arrears, Ksh 73M for the 2023/2024 financial year and Ksh 61M for the 2024/2025 period up to December 2024.
Bunge towers
From April 2024, at least 42 MPs began relocating from KICC to the newly completed Bunge Towers, a 28-storey parliamentary office complex. The move was partly aimed at freeing up office space at KICC ahead of the 2024 African Development Bank (AFDB) Annual Meetings held between 27 and May 31, 2024.
Bunge Towers features modern facilities, including 331 air-conditioned offices, committee rooms, a restaurant, a health club, and an underground tunnel connecting directly to Parliament. The relocation took place in phases, with some MPs moving to other locations such as Harambee SACCO Plaza if they had not been allocated space in Bunge Towers.
