BUSINESS POLITICS REAL ESTATE

Jubilee HQ Goes Under Auctioneer’s Hammer

MARTIN SIELEAug 29, 20222.3k

President Uhuru Kenyatta and DP William Ruto, now President-elect, pictured on a billboard outside Jubilee headquarters before their fall-out in 2018. [Photo/ Radio Africa Group]

The building in Pangani, Nairobi that serves as the headquarters of the ruling Jubilee Party is set for auction. The property has been listed by Garam Auctioneers on a list of properties lined up to go under the hammer.

The auction is slated for September 11th at the company’s Karuna Road offices in Westlands, Nairobi. Bidders will be required to produce a bidding deposit of Ksh5 million by way of cash or bankers’ cheque before being allowed to bid.

Garam Auctioneers disclosed that the building fetches an estimated monthly rent of Ksh3 million. It is a seven-storey commercial complex with two basement floors, a penthouse on the rooftop, a sentry house and a power house. The total lettable area is 34,000 sq. feet.

The different wings of the building are partitioned into office spaces, washrooms and kitchenettes. The land title is a leasehold interest for a term of 99 years with effect from 1st January 2001.

The building which is branded complete with Jubilee Party colors is located along Thika Road in Nairobi’s Pangani area. President Uhuru Kenyatta and DP William Ruto, now President-elect, were re-elected on the Jubilee Party ticket in 2017.

Ruto, however, formed his own United Democratic Alliance (UDA) which he used to get elected after falling out with President Kenyatta in 2018. The fall-out was down to Uhuru’s famous ‘handshake’ with his former erstwhile rival Raila Odinga. The Kenyatta-led Jubilee Party ended up supporting Odinga’s bid for the Presidency under the Azimio coalition and rebranded the Jubilee party to signal a new era ahead of the polls.

Ruto’s UDA moved into a new headquarters located along Ngong’ Road in Nairobi earlier this year. The new location was seen as more fitting of the new party’s stature as it had attracted countless candidates and ended up winning the most seats by a single party in the National Assembly.

The Azimio coalition has moved to the Supreme Court seeking invalidation of Ruto’s election claiming that the election results were manipulated and electoral servers infiltrated by foreigners.