A fresh political storm is unfolding after a Senate motion seeking to strip former President Uhuru Kenyatta of his retirement benefits, escalating tensions with President William Ruto’s administration.
The motion, tabled by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, calls for the withdrawal or reduction of Mr Kenyatta’s state-funded privileges, citing alleged involvement in partisan political activities contrary to the law governing retired presidents.
In his petition, Mr Cherargei argues that Mr Kenyatta has been “publicly reported and widely documented to have actively participated in partisan political processes,” adding that such conduct “amount to active engagement in political party activities contrary to the spirit and letter of Act.”
The move follows recent remarks by the former Head of State during a Jubilee Party event in Narok, which have reignited debate over the limits of political engagement by retired presidents.
The law provided extensive benefits to former presidents, including a pension equivalent to 80 per cent of the sitting president’s salary, allowances, staff, official vehicles and full medical cover, all funded by taxpayers. Parliament allocated Sh362 million for Mr Kenyatta’s package in the current financial year.
The senator is also seeking a comprehensive audit of funds allocated to the former president’s office, urging the Auditor-General and other state agencies to investigate expenditure and recover any amounts deemed irregularly used.
The petition frames the issue as one of accountability, arguing that retirement benefits are meant to preserve the dignity and neutrality of the office after leaving power.
However, Jubilee leaders have dismissed the push, defending Mr Kenyatta’s political involvement. Former Interior Cabinet Secretary, Dr Fred Matiang’i, criticised the move, saying: President Kenyatta is retired, he is a member of Jubilee, he is going to be a member of Jubilee and he is playing his role as a member and the leader of Jubilee. Leave him alone. You have a country to run.”
Dr Matiang’i further claimed that some of the former president’s benefits have not been fully honoured. “He can’t even be given basic benefits like his staff. It is just that he is a gentleman, he does not want to make this to be about him and he is focused on going on with his life,” he said.
Jubilee Secretary-General Moitalel ole Kenta also defended Mr Kenyatta’s remarks, saying they had been misinterpreted. “The reaction from certain quarters over the weekend has been swift, loud and telling, not of the content of his remarks, but of the deep discomfort his voice continues to generate within the current administration.
“We must ask, as any reasonable Kenyan would: what exactly is so threatening about a former president speaking to the people he once led?” he added.
The latest developments revive a long-running dispute between Mr Kenyatta’s office and the government, which previously saw more than Sh1 billion in allocated funds withheld before eventually being reinstated following negotiations.
The Presidential Retirement Benefit Act requires former presidents to maintain political neutrality, although the Constitution protects their benefits from being altered to their disadvantage during their lifetime- setting the stage for a potential legal political battle over the Senate’s proposal.
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