Uhuru Kenyatta rejects official office allotted to late President Kibaki
3 min read
Standoff as Former President Uhuru Kenyatta rejects official office of allotted late President Kibaki
Standoff as Former President Uhuru Kenyatta rejects official office of allotted late President Kibaki.
As the government works to fully implement the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act 2003, an impasse has emerged between the former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Kenya Kwanza administration of President William Ruto over the selection of the office of the retired head of state.
According to the law, following years of devoted service to the country, a retired living president is granted a permanent office and staff, who will be paid civil servants on terms set by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), a pension package, and insurance charges, among other things.
The government desires that Mr. Kenyatta occupy an office at Nyari’s Gigiri estate in Nairobi that was formerly occupied by his predecessor, Mwai Kibaki, before to his passing in April 2022.
The government’s push is that the Gigiri property remained vacant after the death of Kibaki, the country’s third president, in April 2022.
The government also argues that it would amount to misuse of public funds if another office was sought and rent paid while Gigiri’s office remains unoccupied.
According to a publication by Sunday Nation, government sources revealed that the retired president prefers to have his Caledonia residence, just off the state house along Dennis Pritt Road in the city, as his official retirement office.
If the retired president’s wish is granted, it will mean that the government will pay him rent for his own property.
Funding of statutory benefits for retired presidents and vice-presidents is provided under the State House Affairs budget line, as administrator, State House controller, and State House budget accountant.
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An official who did not want to be identified because he is not authorized to do so said that while the retired president wants to be paid the rent for his own home, the government is not prepared to play ball.
“The government will not use taxpayers’ money to pay the rent for its own house. This will amount to a conflict of interest and therefore a misuse of public funds,” the government official said.
“There is a government property in Nyari near Gigiri that was once used by his predecessor as the president’s retirement office. He should go there or find another establishment that is not owned by him,” the official said.
Mrs Kanze Dena, the retired president’s private secretary confirmed that her boss is yet to be given an office by the state.
Ms Dena served under Mr Kenyatta as the Head of the Presidential Communications Unit at the State House.
The law requires the state to ensure that adequate office space not exceeding 1000 square feet, complete with furniture, furnishings, office machinery, office equipment, and supplies, to be provided and maintained by the taxpayer is available to the retired head of state.
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