Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s spokesperson, Kanze Dena, issued a direct challenge to President William Ruto over the unfulfilled retirement benefits for Kenyatta’s office.
Dena revealed that, while Kenyatta receives his monthly allowances, medical cover, and a sh. 48 million gratuity, many other benefits remain unprovided.
She highlighted that the budget allocated to Kenyatta’s office in the 2022/2023 fiscal year was sh. 655 million, but only sh. 28 million was spent, primarily on domestic travel and two official trips.
This spending constitutes just 4.4% of the total budget.
Additionally, no funds have been allocated for the 2023/2024 fiscal year, leaving a pending budget of approximately sh. 1 billion.
Dena also pointed out that Kenyatta’s office lacks a fully furnished and maintained space, a situation that remains unresolved despite efforts to address it.
The Nyari office, chosen by former President Mwai Kibaki, continues to operate on goodwill as State House has not taken action.
Regarding vehicles, Kenyatta’s office was allocated two Toyota Land Cruisers, a Mercedes Benz, and a Range Rover for the former First Lady, all of which were old and used during Kenyatta’s inauguration.
The Presidential Retirement Benefits Act mandates that retired presidents receive two new vehicles every three years, each with an engine capacity not exceeding 3,000 CC, along with two four-wheel drives with engines between 3,000 and 4,000 CC.
Furthermore, Kenyatta’s fuel cards were canceled in March 2023, forcing him to cover fuel costs out of pocket.
Dena also criticized the government for not facilitating Kenyatta’s foreign trips to Ethiopia and Burundi for peace talks and regional summits, countering claims by State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed and Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura that the government has been supportive of Kenyatta’s office.
