Treasury has proposed to cut ex-president Uhuru Kenyatta’s retirement perks by Sh94.6 million for the year starting July in a review that will also affect opposition leader Raila Odinga and former vice presidents.
Budge documents tabled in Parliament show Kenyatta’s perks will reduce to Sh276.85 million from Sh371.46 million, with heavy cuts on foreign travels, insurance and local trips.
Former presidents, prime ministers and vice-presidents get monthly perks to run their offices, pay staff, buy vehicles and fuel them, travel locally and outside the country and entertainment allowances.
Raila’s office perks for his term as prime minister has been reduced from Sh87.2 million to Sh63.27 million while Moody Awori, who served at vice president between September 2003 and December 2007, will get Sh20 million less to run his secretariate budget of Sh53.9 million.
Kalonzo Musyoka’s perks are proposed to be slashed from Sh81.36 million to Sh52.9 million.
The perks are separate to their monthly pensions, which are pegged at 80 percent of the salaries they earned while serving.
For instance, Mr Kenyatta will get a pension of Sh16,776,150 million in the new year starting July, says the budget estimates.
Treasury proposes to slash Uhuru’s foreign travels by Sh46.5 million, insurance (Sh23 million), domestic travels (Sh11 million), fuel (Sh7.5 million) and hospitality (Sh6 million).
Former vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka’s perks are proposed to be cut by Sh28.4 million, where insurance costs account for Sh20 million and funding for his domestic travels have been lowered from Sh3.25 million to Sh2.06 million.
Treasury proposes to slash perks for former prime minister Raila Odinga by Sh23.9 million, largely on insurance costs (Sh20 million), domestic travel (from Sh2.4 million to Sh1.8 million) and hospitality from Sh2 million to Sh1.53 million.
The proposed budget cuts on Kenyatta’s perks come at a time when President William Ruto’s allies have intensified attacks on the fourth President, accusing him of meddling into politics and calling for the removal of his pension.
The former President has also in recent months criticized the government over how it has handled the economy and called on the youth to come out and air their grievances, sentiments that have attracted sharp criticism.
On the other hand, Mr Odinga, the long-time opposition leader, has since last year closed ranks with President Ruto in a move that has left a number of his party members and allies appointed to serve in cabinet and as principal secretaries (PSs).
Former vice-president Moody Awori has the least proposed cuts of Sh20.28 million on his perks, from Sh74.2 million to Sh53.9 million.
The proposals will leave Mr Awori’s perks overtake Mr Musyoka’s, who has previously had a higher budget.
Mr Awori, 97, deputized former president Mwai Kibaki between September 2003 after Mr Kibaki’s first VP Michael Kijana Wamalwa died, to the end of Kibaki’s first term in December 2007.
In 2019, Mr Kenyatta while serving his second term appointed him to serve in the Sports, Art and Social Development Fund as a board member.
In total, Treasury proposes to slash Sh167.2 million from the four offices, but cuts on Kenyatta’s perks account for 56.6 percent of the total cuts.
Benefits of the retired presidents and vice-presidents have come under sharp focus in recent years following an increase by large margins, even as the government insisted that it had put in place austerity measures to contain a growing public sector wage bill.
In 2015, the High Court stopped the government from paying allowances worth millions of shillings to former Presidents Daniel Moi and Mr Kibaki, terming them an unnecessary burden to the taxpayers. The benefits included Sh300,000 monthly house allowance, fuel (Sh200,000), entertainment (Sh200, 000) and utilities (Sh300,000).
Former presidents are entitled to two personal assistants, four secretaries, four messengers as well as four drivers and bodyguards, pushing the office and home workers to 34 under the scheme funded by taxpayers.
Retired presidents are also entitled to four cars, including two limousines, which are replaced every four years. They have full medical cover and fully furnished offices.
