NaRRA Signs Five-Year Lease for Kingston Headquarters Amid PNP Spending Criticism

Jamaica’s Government will reduce the size and cost of the new NaRRA headquarters lease at the Digicel Building after public backlash over the reported US$725,972 annual price tag. Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said the agency will start with less space, lowering upfront costs, though the rollout timeline may be delayed.

Backlash over NaRRA’s planned J$120 million annual lease in the Digicel building has pushed the Government to scale back the agency’s office space and reduce costs. Information Minister Dana Morris-Dixon said the rollout will be staged, with less space initially, while defending the building choice as resilient, centrally located and priced at market rates.

The Opposition PNP is urging the Government to release the full lease for NaRRA’s new Ocean Boulevard headquarters, which will cost about $115 million a year, arguing the money should go toward recovery work for Hurricane Melissa victims. The party also wants details on why existing state buildings were not used and has questioned whether the arrangement is a waste of public funds.

The Opposition PNP has attacked the Government’s plan to spend about $115 million a year to house NaRRA at Digicel’s Kingston waterfront headquarters, arguing the agency should use rent-free state space instead while Hurricane Melissa victims still need homes rebuilt. It is demanding full disclosure of the lease, valuation, procurement records and other costs, calling the move wasteful public spending.

NaRRA will spend about $115.2 million a year to lease its new headquarters at the Digicel Building in downtown Kingston, with operations starting November 1. The five-year lease was approved after a National Land Agency valuation, and NaRRA says the resilient building will support its disaster-readiness and reconstruction mandate.

NaRRA will begin operations on November 1 from a five-year leased headquarters at the Digicel Building on Ocean Boulevard in downtown Kingston, costing US$725,972 a year. The agency says the resilient, disaster-ready site will support its role in rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa and maintaining continuity during emergencies.