Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has defended the modesty of his rural home, saying he is not attracted to flashy things or grand houses.
The Linda Mwananchi leader was responding to Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, who recently appeared to mock the senator’s house in Siaka Village, West Sang’alo Ward, Kanduyi Constituency, in Bungoma county.
Junet said the house, which has become a talking point following Sifuna’s rising political profile, does not fit the standards of someone of the senator’s stature.
Speaking on Citizen TV on Tuesday night, Sifuna said he was proud of the house and had no intention of changing it to meet expectations associated with his position.
“Kenyans must know that I’m very proud of that house. I built that house in 2015,” he said.
Sifuna explained that he spends at most two weeks in the house during the Christmas holidays, when he takes his daughter to the village.
He said the house serves its intended purpose and questioned the basis for judging it against the standards of other politicians or public figures.
“Some of us are built different; we are not attracted to flashy things and grandiosity. I see some people saying ‘because you’re so and so, you should have this and this’. It is possible to be modest.”
Sifuna said the debate over the house reflected different personal choices and argued that political status should not determine how someone lives in their lives.
He drew parallels between his rural house and that of his political mentor, Raila Odinga, whose home at Opoda Farm in Bondo he described as modest.
“It’s just a house in the village. Even his house here in Karen is a very modest house by the current standards. I have seen people building monstrosities there from wall to wall, so it just depends on who you are.”
The senator said he was comfortable with his decision to maintain a modest home, despite the expectations that may come with his political position.
He said some have described him as “the poorest senator”, but he is comfortable with the lifestyle he has chosen to live.
His comments come amid growing public attention on the house, with images and discussions about it circulating amid Sifuna’s rising political profile.
Sifuna dismissed politicians driving the debate, accusing them of resorting to personal attacks instead of offering ideas that could appeal to voters.
He suggested that the attention given to his house was evidence that his critics had run out of more substantive issues to raise against him.
“The fact that it’s that house that people are discussing, it means wametafuta story imewashinda.”
The senator said he would rather remain focused on his political ambitions and the task of preparing for the next election than be distracted by criticism of his home.
“Our challenge is making sure that we remain focused in making sure that we succeed in the next election,” he said.
