Govt cannot flout procurement laws by leasing Uhuru’s home
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 11 – The government now says it will not flout procurement regulations to pay for a private office leased by former President Uhuru Kenyatta after he rejected the one located in Nyari, Nairobi.
In a statement, government spokesman Isaac Mwaura stated that the Nyari office was used by the late President Mwai Kibaki for nine years between 2013 and 2022.
He indicated that based on this, it is a suitable office for any retired president and rejecting it and preferring that the government leases his own private home was against the procurement laws, regulations and procedures.
“In 2022/2023, the government purchased an office of the retired president. This office is located in Nyari, Nairobi. This is the office of the late President Mwai Kibaki used for 9 years between 2013 and 2022,” Mwaura stated.
He stated that based on this, Kenyatta wanted to be both a landlord and tenant at the same time as it would be a conflict of interest.
On Monday, the former President’s Director of Communications Kanze Dena expressed concerns over the government’s failure to meet the constitutional requirements for the retired head of state.
Kenyatta’s office further revealed that the former president has never received the full budget allocation as required by law, forcing him to fund ongoing challenges, forcing him to finance essentials like office space among others.
Despite an allocation of Sh655 million, Kenyatta’s office said only Sh28 million was released this fiscal year, raising concerns about budget disbursement to the former president.
His Director of Communication Kanze Dena expressed dismay, citing a lack of access to funds totaling approximately Sh1 billion over two years.
Ruto was Kenyatta’s deputy for 10 years. In the last five years of their tenure, Ruto often accused Kenyatta of sidelining him and setting up junior officers to frustrate him, including withholding budget allocations to his office as Deputy President.
In the current financial year, Kenyatta’s office was allocated Sh503 million, yet they haven’t received any access to the allocation.
“The year is ending without the office having any access to this allocation. The total amount for the two years that we have not had access to is approximately 1 billion Kenya Shillings,” said Dena, days after Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura insisted that the government was taking care of the former president and his family as required by law.
With an allocation of Sh579 million for the upcoming fiscal year, uncertainties loom over whether the office will receive the promised funds, given past precedents.
“The office is waiting with bated breath to see if this will be honored. The quagmire that the office is in is that the office cannot substantiate what has been used and where the monies have been,” Dena stated.
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