In a significant move to align with the revised 2024/2025 budget, President William Ruto has implemented extensive austerity measures, including a substantial reduction in benefits for retired presidents.
The cut, amounting to Ksh.99 million, is part of a broader strategy to trim government expenditure.
State House Comptroller Katoo Ole Metito announced a dramatic 54% reduction in the State House budget, slashing it from Ksh.9.496 billion to Ksh.4.382 billion.
The allocation for retired presidents’ benefits saw a notable decrease, dropping from Ksh.646.69 million to Ksh.547.45 million. This comes after public uproar over the Finance Bill 2024 which led to protests across the country.
These sweeping austerity measures come at a time when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) plan to conduct a program review to assess the situation in Kenya.
Far-reaching Effects
The budget cuts have had far-reaching effects on various programs. Notably, the planned refurbishment of eight State Lodges across Kenya, including those in Nairobi, Kakamega, Nakuru, Eldoret, Sagana, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Mtito Andei, has been completely defunded.
Even the Office of the First Lady has not been spared from these austerity measures. A previously allocated budget of Ksh.696 million for programs focusing on women empowerment, climate change, social justice promotion, and child protection has been significantly affected.
For instance, a Ksh.4 million initiative to plant 500 million trees nationwide has been entirely scrapped. The new budget as presented by Ole Metito, read in part,
“Additionally, spending items such as Presidential visits, National celebrations, State hospitality and maintenance of both residential and non-residential buildings among others are the most affected.”
The National Assembly had invited public input in the efforts to to reduce government spending across all three branches by KSh.156.39 billion.
Treatment of Former President Uhuru Kenyatta
These budget revisions come amid controversy surrounding the treatment of former President Uhuru Kenyatta. On June 11, 2024, Kenyatta claimed that his office had received only 4.4% of its allocated budget, amounting to Ksh.28 million out of the required Ksh.655 million. Through his spokesperson Kanze Dena, Kenyatta stated:
“He fueled his vehicles to run errands as his fuel cards were blocked and cancelled by the State in March 2023.”
Kenyatta also revealed that he had to personally finance most of his travel expenses, with the State facilitating only two of his trips.
These allegations were in response to government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura’s assertion that Kenyatta’s office was receiving all state-provided benefits.
Following a phone conversation between Ruto and Kenyatta, the president has formed a team to address the concerns raised by the office of the Fourth President.
