Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has clarified reports regarding the alleged sale of the Kenya International Conference Centre (KICC), saying the Kenya Kwanza administration does not intend to auction off the iconic building.

Mwaura, speaking during a press address on Thursday, defended the move by the government to privatize KICC saying its purpose was only to increase its value.

He allayed fears raised by the public on the sale of KICC underscoring that privatization should be seen as a value addition of government assets since it would require an investment of about Ksh.2 billion to give the building a new look.

“If you want to privatise an entity, you cannot do it when it is dilapidated in condition. Privatisation is not selling, it has to do with someone coming on board, investing their money for a given period, getting some percentage of ownership in terms of that period and then after that, it can be reviewed,” he said.

“This facility is iconic; Kenya is not selling KICC but is just maximising the potential and value by putting about Ksh.2 billion or so, and it is currently an ongoing process...in an 11-year process.”

Mwaura revealed that investors would be coming in to give KICC a facelift, and in the process promote businesses around the area, especially monumental hotels such as Hilton and InterContinental.

“We will not just be using this place for offices but will also use it for investment and to get money from hotels. We will also have a new hotel from this premises so that when many people come here, you can revive Hilton, interCon so that people can make money,” he noted.

“Privatisation is about getting a solid investor who comes in and does what they need to do to make money for themselves and also for the country and then they can move on.”

The government, through the National Treasury and Economic Planning ministry, last month proposed to privatise KICC, the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) and the New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC), a move which has since faced a lot of opposition.

Other parastatals set to be onboarded on the 2023 Privatisation Programme include the Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB), National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK), Kenya Seed Company Limited (KSC) and Mwea Rice Mills Ltd (MRM).

The Spokesperson, at the same time, lauded the tourism sector saying it was making milestones following President William Ruto’s abolishment of Visa requirements for tourists visiting the country.

Mwaura revealed that since the move by the President early this year, so far the tourism sector had made over Ksh.650 million.

“Our country is now Visa-free meaning that we shall have more visitors coming into our country going forward. For example, international arrivals have grown by 18.42% in the last 16 months, meaning that our country received 273,412 more visitors,” he said.

“The number of days that tourists have spent in Kenya has increased by one day from 10 to 11 days. The more they stay, the more they are spending. The country was able to rake in an additional Ksh.650 million from this sector alone, due to the fact that spending in hotels has also increased by 3% with regards to bed occupancy.