Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi during a past media briefing. [Photo: The Star]Following a directive effective June 30 that the government ceases paying rent for county speakers, realtors seeking to sell an executive mansion to house Nairobi Speaker Beatrice Elachi have until Tuesday noon to post their bids. However, the mansion must have a private swimming pool according to tender documents posted on the Nairobi County Assembly website and located within ‘designated UN Blue Zones’.The zones boast of a high number of expatriates mostly the nearly 5,000 employees working at the global headquarters of the United Nations Environmental Programme, UN Habitat among other agencies as well as international organisations.It includes Karen, Lang’ata, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Muthangari, Spring Valley, Muthaiga, Lower Kabete, Kitisuru, Westlands, Highridge, Balozi, Loresho and Windsor among other posh areas where the rich and powerful reside.The documents say Speaker Elachi’s mansion must be located within a gated community at least 200 metres from the main road with a paved access road six metres wide with street lighting.“A perimeter wall with electric fencing with adjacent properties occupied, has a private access gate, five parking slots as well as a guardhouse and 2 workers’ quarters, an in-house borehole (or access to), a backup generator, lawns and flower beds will suffice,” says the notice as quoted by Business Daily.The Assembly also wants its Speaker’s house to have a reception area (sitting room) with a capacity to hold 50 people during an official function, five in-house bedrooms with at least three being en-suite with balconies and terraces, BD further reports.The notice adds that the flooring should be wooden or ceramic with kitchen fixtures and fittings as well as other value additions reserved as per the Speaker’s choice. It adds the mansion should boast of a family-cum-television room as well as a library-cum-study room and a laundry room.Speaker Elachi who earns Sh135,000 monthly in house allowances will be seeking to move into the yet to be identified mansion after the circular by Salaries and Remuneration Commission said that county assemblies could buy houses or build new ones if they have land to do so.

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