Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has accused the Kenya Kwanza government, now headed by his former Deputy William Ruto of denying him the budget to run his office.
Mr Kenyatta claims he has not received a cent despite being allocated Sh503 million for the current financial year.
Through his spokesperson, Ms Kanze Dena-Mararo, Mr Kenyatta on Monday insisted that he had not received new vehicles as required by law, forcing him to use the old transitional fleet that State House has refused to fuel.
“In the 2023/2024 financial year, which ends in a few weeks, the budget allocation to this office was Sh503 million.
“The year is ending without the office having access to this allocation. The total amount for the two years that we have not had access to is about 1 billion Kenyan shillings,” Ms Dena said.
She noted that while salaries and medical insurance have been paid, no other monies spent by the former president’s office can be accounted for.
Speaking at the Uhuru Kenyatta Institute in Nairobi, where the office of the retired president is based, Ms Dena claimed that two senior officers of the former head of state have so far not had their contracts renewed and therefore haven’t received salaries for the past two years.
The two include Principal Secretary for Administration George Kariuki and herself – the Principal Secretary for Communications.
On the budget challenges, Ms Dena noted that in the new year 2024/2025, the budget allocation is Sh579 million, adding that the officer is “waiting with bated breath to see if this will be honoured”.
“The quagmire the office is in is that the office cannot account for what has been used and where the money has been used as several requests and attempts to get budget returns from the accounting officer have fallen on deaf ears,” she said.
Mr Kenyatta, she noted, also takes great exception to the mode of communication State House has adopted to address his office.
“The Office notes with concern the manner in which State House chooses to communicate with this Office. State House chooses a verbal form of communication on official matters or chooses not to respond to correspondence generated by this office.
“This includes requests for fuel and maintenance, office operations and facilitation, pending contract renewals and budget returns,” Ms Dena said.
She said there was a need for written communication to maintain transparency and order.
Ms Dena also pointed out that the former president was using vehicles given to him on an interim basis and had not yet received a new fleet as required by the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act.
“The office would like to place on record that after the transition, a conversation was initiated between the two offices regarding the purchase of vehicles as required by law. This conversation has been made available to you.
“The vehicles were identified, down to the colour of the said vehicle, and then the conversation froze. To date, the conversation has not been resumed. We do not know whether the cars were bought or not,” said Ms Dena.
On international travel, the official noted that the former president has undertaken several official trips since his retirement, as per his duties and responsibilities.
“Only two such trips have been honoured so far,” she said.
She explained that the two include the trip to Ethiopia on matters relating to the African Union-led peace process and the one to Burundi, which was the 11th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the East African Community, on matters relating to the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Uhuru Kenyatta: How William Ruto is Frustrating Me
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has accused the Kenya Kwanza government, led by his successor and former Deputy President William Ruto, of denying his office the budget allocated for its operations.
Mr. Kenyatta, through his spokesperson Ms. Kanze Dena-Mararo, stated on Monday that despite being allocated KSh 503 million for the current financial year, his office has not received any funds. He has also not received new vehicles as required by law, forcing him to use an outdated transitional fleet that State House has refused to fuel.
“In the 2023/2024 financial year, which ends in a few weeks, the budget allocation to this office was KSh 503 million. The year is ending without the office having access to this allocation. The total amount for the two years that we have not had access to is about KSh 1 billion,” Ms. Dena said.
While salaries and medical insurance have been paid, Ms. Dena noted that no other expenses incurred by the former president’s office can be accounted for. Speaking at the Uhuru Kenyatta Institute in Nairobi, where the retired president’s office is based, Ms. Dena revealed that two senior officers, Principal Secretary for Administration George Kariuki and herself, have not had their contracts renewed and have been without salaries for the past two years.
For the upcoming financial year 2024/2025, the budget allocation is KSh 579 million. Ms. Dena expressed hope that this allocation would be honored, noting that the office is eagerly awaiting to see if the funds will be disbursed.
“The quagmire the office is in is that the office cannot account for what has been used and where the money has been used, as several requests and attempts to get budget returns from the accounting officer have fallen on deaf ears,” she said.
Mr. Kenyatta has also expressed concerns about the mode of communication from State House to his office. According to Ms. Dena, State House often communicates verbally on official matters or fails to respond to correspondence from Mr. Kenyatta’s office. This includes requests for fuel and maintenance, office operations, pending contract renewals, and budget returns.
“The Office notes with concern the manner in which State House chooses to communicate with this Office. State House chooses a verbal form of communication on official matters or chooses not to respond to correspondence generated by this office,” Ms. Dena said. She emphasized the need for written communication to maintain transparency and order.
Ms. Dena also highlighted that the former president is using vehicles given to him on an interim basis and has not yet received a new fleet as required by the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act. She recounted that after the transition, discussions were initiated regarding the purchase of vehicles, but these discussions have since stalled.
“The vehicles were identified, down to the color, and then the conversation froze. To date, the conversation has not been resumed. We do not know whether the cars were bought or not,” she said.
On international travel, Ms. Dena noted that the former president has undertaken several official trips since his retirement as part of his duties and responsibilities. However, only two such trips have been financially supported by the government. These include a trip to Ethiopia related to the African Union-led peace process and a visit to Burundi for the 11th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the East African Community, concerning the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo
