Junet Mohamed Proposes Shifting Parliament to Kisumu

National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed has proposed to relocate Parliament from Nairobi to Kisumu. 

According to Junet, there are already talks among legislators to move the second arm of government since the breach of the premises in June last year. 

“I overheard in Parliament they are saying they want to move Parliament to another city. I don’t know whether it is because of maandamano (protests),” Junet asserted while speaking during the launch of LV Marina in Kisumu County on Saturday. 

Junet was speaking at the event, whose guests included various legislators, including Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, Kisumu and Homa Bay Governors Anyang Nyong’o and Gladys Wanga, as well as long-time opposition chief Raila Odinga.

The outspoken legislator went on to offer Kisumu as a prime destination should Parliament be moved. “I will tell them if they want to go somewhere else they should come to Kisumu,” he stated.

While defending such a move, Junet argued Kenya would not be the only country to have the government and legislature seated in different parts of the country. 

He gave the example of South Africa, which has designated Cape Town as the legislative capital hosting parliament, while Pretoria acts as the administrative capital where the executive operates. 

However, Ichung’wah, who spoke after Junet rubbished the idea. Instead, he offered to initiate a plan to create conferencing facilities that could allow some sessions of Parliament in Kisumu.

Parliament’s location in Nairobi reflects the enduring imprint of colonial history. Constructed in 1954 by the British colonial government, the legislative buildings were designed to host the Legislative Council, the forerunner of today’s National Assembly.

Nairobi’s position as the capital of British East Africa, established in 1907, solidified its role as the administrative and political heart of the colony. Its selection as the site for the Legislative Council was not incidental but a pragmatic choice, reflecting the city’s status as a hub for governance, infrastructure, and commerce. 

Upon independence in 1963, the new government retained the legislative buildings, repurposing them as the Parliament buildings—a symbol of continuity in Kenya’s legislative history.

Calls to relocate Parliament from Nairobi have surfaced intermittently, driven by arguments for decentralisation and reducing Nairobi’s overconcentration of political power. However, the logistical challenges of such a move are daunting.