By Martin Oduor, K24 Digital On Tue, 13 Sep, 2022 18:48 | 2 mins read
Uhuru Kenyatta officially retired as the fourth President of Kenya on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, after his predecessor William Ruto took the oath of office at a packed Kasarani stadium.
The retired President is entitled to a hefty retirement package enshrined in the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act of 2013.
Below is the list of retirement packs Uhuru will enjoy:
1. Lump sum payment
The Presidential Retirement Benefits Act provides that a retired President is entitled to a lump sum payment on retirement equal to one year’s salary for each term served.
Uhuru Kenyatta served for two terms for a period of 10 years, meaning he will be paid a lump sum of Ksh39.6 million.
The retired President earned a salary of Ksh1,237,500 when he took over as the Head of State and Government in March 2013. His salary was gazetted by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) gazette notice of March 1, 2013.
SRC increased Uhuru Kenyatta’s salary by Ksh103,125 every year.
2. Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta entitled to monthly pension
Retired President Kenyatta be receiving a total of Ksh 1.15 million in monthly pension.
3. Fuel allowance
Retired President Kenyatta will be entitled to a Ksh216,563 monthly fuel allowance.
4. House allowance
Retired President Kenyatta is entitled to Ksh.332,062 as his monthly house allowance.
5. Entertainment allowance
Retired President Kenyatta is entitled to a Ksh216,562 monthly entertainment allowance.
6. Bills
Retired President Kenyatta is entitled to Ksh332,062 to cater for his monthly electricity, telephone and water bills.
8. Staff
Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta is entitled to at least 30 office and home staff that include two personal assistants, four secretaries, four messengers, four drivers and up to six security guards.
The state will also provide the retired President with adequate security at his urban and rural residences as may from time to time be certified by the Interior Ministry.
9. Four-wheel vehicles
Retired President Kenyatta will also be issued with two four-wheel drive motor vehicles of his choice, replaceable every three years. Each vehicle should have an engine capacity of at least 3000cc and not exceeding 4000cc.
10. Office of the retired President
The government is further required to provide retired President Kenyatta with suitable office space, not exceeding 1,000 square metres, with appropriate furnishings and equipment as well as staff.
11. Diplomatic passports
Retired President Kenyatta and his wife Margaret Kenyatta are entitled to diplomatic passports and local and international travel allowance of up to four trips a year not exceeding two weeks each and access to the VIP lounge at all airports within Kenya.
However, for retired President Uhuru Kenyatta to enjoy all these perks, he is required to resign from any position in any political party before he can access the pension and retirement benefits.
Section 6 (1) of the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act of 2003, provides that a retired President shall not hold office in any political party for more than six months after ceasing to hold office as President.
Retired President Kenyatta is the current Jubilee Party leader and the chairperson of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition council.
The Presidential Retirement Benefits Act, nonetheless, provides that the retired President shall be expected to play a consultative and advisory role to the government and the people of Kenya.
The retired President may also be requested by the government to perform specific official functions and shall be paid a reasonable allowance in respect of such activities.
