Treasury to stop funding of Kibaki office, cut staff

The Treasury is set to stop funding the office of the late President Mwai Kibaki, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of shillings in retirement benefits offered to the former Head of State.

Mr Kibaki, who died on April 22 at 90, had been receiving retirement benefits, including a fleet of luxury cars, a fully-furnished office and about 40 workers, since leaving office in 2013.

Now, the Treasury says that the office will cease to exist, and some of the workers will be declared redundant, with those on secondment reabsorbed in ministries and other agencies.

Mr Kibaki received annual pension of Sh34.2 million or Sh2.85 million monthly — which is equivalent to the salary and benefits of top chief executives of State-owned firms.

His office cost taxpayers Sh98.6 million in the year ended June and the Treasury has allocated Sh101.1 million for the fiscal year starting July 1.

“The law demands that payment linked to the Kibaki’s retirement benefits be withdrawn upon death and we expect the office to be wound up over the next three months,” said a source at the Treasury, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The withdrawal will be similar to what happened to the office of President Daniel arap Moi when he died on February 4.

Running Mr Moi’s and Mr Kibaki’s offices cost taxpayers Sh243 million in the year to June 2020, with compensation to their staff, excluding those seconded from the government, taking Sh126 million.

Aides seconded from the government, including press secretaries and security officers, are paid by the parent ministry.

In Mr Kibaki’s office Ngari Gituku, a long-serving civil servant, served as the late president’s private secretary.

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