The government has suspended the retirement packages for former Vice presidents and Prime Minister Raila Odinga amid Coronavirus menace in the country.
According to reports by People Daily, the Sh1.5 billion that had been set aside for the same was withdrawn with the Treasury docket indicating that the state was focusing its attention on pressing matters to address COVID-19.
“The allocation was withdrawn because it was not a pressing matter in the current environment of COVID-19,” a source in the Treasury is quoted by the local daily.
The beneficiaries of the package were Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi. Yearly, they would have taken home Sh8.64 million which is Sh720,000 per month life long pension and Sh108,000 monthly fuel allowance.
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They are also accorded a total of 17 workers including secretaries, chefs, personal assistants and accountants.
Further, other state officials who would have benefited from the package according to the State Officers Act introduced for the first time for the financial year 2019/2020 are the previous Chief Justices and the National Assembly speakers as well as their deputies.
This was assented by President Uhuru Kenyatta following the famous March handshake in 2018. Initially, he had declined to sign in 2015 due to the political rivalry with Raila Odinga.
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Currently, the Treasury docket is reviewing budget amid COVID-19 break out in the country, with allocations channelled to address its impacts on the economy.
Yesterday, President Uhuru Kenyatta during a press conference confirmed more COVID-19 cases, with the number rising to 234. He issued the directive to allocate Sh8.5 billion to the elderly, Sh500 million to persons with disability and Sh5 billion to County governments to sustain the fight against COVID-19.
“We are working towards formulating Kenya’s Post-COVID-19 economic recovery plan and we will be engaging all stakeholders in engineering economic policies in light of this crisis. My team is paying attention to critical national matters that are causing families anxiety,” he said.
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