A storm is brewing over a fresh push to strip former President Uhuru Kenyatta of his retirement benefits following the filing of a motion in the Senate.
The motion by Nandi Senator Samson Cherarkey opened a new chapter in the fraught relationship between Mr Kenyatta and his successor, President William Ruto’s administration.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherarkey.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
The new controversy was stoked by the remarks made by the former president when he addressed Jubilee Party members in Narok during a homecoming ceremony for the party’s secretary-general, Moitalel ole Kenta.
The onslaught comes after a two-year standoff in which more than Sh1 billion allocated to Mr Kenyatta’s office was withheld. The perks were eventually reinstated, including approval for him to operate from his Caledonia residence near State House.
The Senate motion seeks to withdraw or reduce the former president’s retirement benefits, setting in motion a high-stakes debate on the legal boundaries that govern the conduct and perks of retired presidents.
Mr Kenyatta’s retirement benefits are in line with the Presidential Retirement Benefits (Amendment) Act of 2013. They include a one-off lump sum payment on retirement, calculated as a sum equal to one year’s salary for each term served, and a monthly pension equal to 80 per cent of the monthly salary of the sitting president.
He also receives an entertainment allowance (15 per cent) and housing allowance (23 per cent) of the monthly salary of the serving president to cater for both an urban and a rural dwelling; suitable office space not exceeding 1,000 square meters with appropriate furniture, furnishings, office machines, equipment and office supplies.
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He is also entitled to 34 employees, including two personal assistants, four secretaries, four messengers, four drivers and four bodyguards. Further, he is entitled to four cars, including two limousines and two sports utility vehicles, which are replaced every four years. Each vehicle should have an engine capacity of at least 3000cc and not exceeding 4000cc.
Other benefits include a full medical cover for local and foreign treatment, and diplomatic passports as well as local and international travel allowances of four trips every year.
In the 2025/2026 budget, the government has set aside Sh362 million for Mr Kenyatta’s package, down from Sh448.7 million in the 2024/2025 budget.
In the petition, Mr Cherarkey argues that Mr Kenyatta has been “publicly reported and widely documented to have actively participated in partisan political processes,” conduct he says runs counter to the expectations set out in the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act.
He cites instances in which the former president has attended and addressed political gatherings, issued public statements perceived to favour or oppose political actors, and engaged in consultations and mobilisation efforts tied to ongoing political contests across the country.
Such actions, the senator contends, “if established, amount to active engagement in political party activities contrary to the spirit and letter of the Act,” raising questions about whether Mr Kenyatta should continue to enjoy a retirement package funded by taxpayers”.
The petition asks Parliament to invoke its powers to withdraw or scale down the benefits accorded to the retired president, noting that the Act allows such measures where conduct is deemed inconsistent with its provisions.
It further calls for the Office of the Auditor-General, working alongside relevant State agencies, to carry out “a comprehensive audit of all public resources allocated to the retired President” and submit its findings within 60 days, a process that could open up the finances of the former president’s office to fresh scrutiny.
In addition, the Nandi senator is seeking the recovery of any funds that may be found to have been irregularly allocated or utilised, proposing that such monies be redirected “to serve the interests and welfare of the people of Kenya”, subject to parliamentary approval.
The petition frames the issue as one of public accountability, arguing that retirement benefits for former presidents are financed through public funds and are intended to preserve the dignity of the office while ensuring neutrality in post-office conduct.
Yesterday, Jubilee deputy party leader and presidential aspirant, Dr Fred Matiang'i, dismissed the threat to withdraw Mr Kenyatta’s benefits.
“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,” he said.
In addition, the Nandi senator is seeking the recovery of any funds that may be found to have been irregularly allocated or utilised, proposing that such monies be redirected “to serve the interests and welfare of the people of Kenya”, subject to parliamentary approval.
The petition frames the issue as one of public accountability, arguing that retirement benefits for former presidents are financed through public funds and are intended to preserve the dignity of the office while ensuring neutrality in post-office conduct.
On Monday, Jubilee deputy party leader and presidential aspirant, Dr Fred Matiang'i, dismissed the threat to withdraw Mr Kenyatta’s benefits.
“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,” he said.
Dr Matiang’i, who served as Interior Cabinet secretary in Mr Kenyatta’s government, also revealed that the retired president was being denied some of his retirement packages.
Jubilee Party deputy leader Fred Matiang'i during an interview at office in Nairobi on February 12, 2026.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
“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.
Mr Kenta said that the remarks by the former head of state that sparked the controversy were meant for party delegates, intended as a moment of connection, guidance and reflection, but have since been deliberately turned into a political spectacle.
“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?” Mr Kenta asked.
The Presidential Retirement Benefits Act imposes restrictions intended to safeguard the neutrality of retired presidents, requiring them to refrain from holding positions in political parties beyond a specified transition period. It envisages a role that is largely “consultative and advisory”, allowing former heads of state to contribute to national affairs without becoming active participants in partisan political contests.
The benefits themselves are protected under the Constitution, which provides that retirement benefits and privileges accorded to a former president shall not be varied to their disadvantage during their lifetime.
The motion by Mr Cherarkey revives tensions that had only recently eased following a prolonged and at times bitter public dispute between State House and Mr Kenyatta’s office. At the height of the dispute, more than Sh1 billion allocated by Parliament to the retired president’s office remained inaccessible, with the office operating under severe financial constraints despite statutory provisions guaranteeing the benefits.
Budgetary allocations for multiple financial years went unutilised, even as disagreements emerged over key aspects of the retirement package, including the designation of an official office and the facilitation required to support the former president’s activities.
The government had initially resisted Mr Kenyatta’s preference to operate from his private residence in Caledonia, near State House, instead proposing that he use a government-owned facility in Nairobi’s Gigiri area that had previously been allocated to former President Mwai Kibaki.
Officials argued at the time that it would have been imprudent to incur additional public expenditure on new office space when an existing facility remained available, framing the issue as one of fiscal responsibility.
Mr Kenyatta, however, held his ground, insisting on the Caledonia residence as his preferred base, a position that prolonged the standoff and delayed the full implementation of his retirement benefits.
The impasse also extended to operational matters, with reports that the former president’s office lacked access to funds for routine expenses, including fuel, maintenance and staff facilitation, even as salaries and medical cover continued to be provided.
At one point, officials in Mr Kenyatta’s office complained of delayed communication and administrative hurdles, including the absence of written responses to formal requests, further complicating the functioning of the office.
The standoff eventually eased after negotiations between the two sides, culminating in an agreement that allowed Mr Kenyatta to use his Caledonia residence as his official office, fully funded by the taxpayer.
The resolution also saw the restoration of other benefits, including security arrangements, staff support and operational facilitation, bringing the former president’s retirement package back in line with statutory requirements.
