Ruto: We'll privatize KICC, but you can continue taking photos there

President William Ruto has maintained that the Kenyatta International Conventional Centre (KICC) will be privatized despite loud protests from Kenyans.

Ruto spoke on Sunday evening during a roundtable interview with local journalists.

The Head of State clarified that the building, located within Nairobi CBD, will not be sold, contrary to popular opinion.

“KICC is an iconic building. It is the center of the city. All of us including myself… when I first came to Nairobi I went to that place where we are holding KICC at the top and that will continue,” he began.

KICC losing its value

In his ambitious plan to generate revenue from the building, President Ruto stated that KICC was losing its value due to mismanagement.

“KICC was not built for photography. It was built as a national asset. KICC today is valued at KSh30 billion Last year we got KSh29 million a year. The other year I think Ksh40 million. What a waste!”

The first in command blatantly commented that KICC was being managed inefficiently, hence the decline in income over the years.

“The whole of KICC has offices of people who pay nothing. Nobody wants to have a meeting there because it is dark, it has no facilities, no toilets…”

Africa Climate Summit

So bad is the situation, Ruto said, that he had to inject KSh1.8 billion for renovations ahead of the Africa Climate Summit held in September this year.

“If it is worth KSh30 billion we should be getting KSh3 billion a year, but we are not getting that we are getting KSh29 million,” the president added.

He proposed bringing in a strategic investor to turn around the revenues for KICC, which he argued would boost the tourism center.

In his plan, Ruto divulged that another conference center would also be built at the Bomas of Kenya, also located in Nairobi.

“I am also going to get a strategic investor for Bomas of Kenya. We need to build another conference facility in Bomas of Kenya, and maybe two, three hotels in Bomas of Kenya.

“It is what is going to change the fortunes of this country, especially the space around tourism. Let me persuade the people of Kenya- KICC is not being sold to anybody, it is not being taken anywhere. You can continue taking photographs.”