Nairobi, June 10 – On Monday afternoon, Kanze Dena, the Director of Communications for former President Uhuru Kenyatta, addressed allegations regarding the Kenya Kwanza administration’s refusal to release funds for the former President’s office operations.
Contrary to earlier claims by State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed, Dena clarified that Uhuru’s current office has neither been furnished by the state nor received new vehicles. “To date, this office runs on the President’s goodwill as it awaits a response from State House,” she stated.
Regarding vehicles, the former President uses transitional vehicles. “After the transition, discussions on the purchase of vehicles were initiated but have since stalled. We are unaware if the cars were purchased,” Dena explained.
On international trips, Dena noted that since retirement, only two trips—one to Ethiopia for the African Union peace process and another to Burundi—were financed by the government. Other requests for facilitation of trips have been ignored.
The core issue is budget allocation. For the financial year 2022/2023, Parliament allocated Ksh655 million to the office, of which only Ksh28 million was utilized, covering domestic travel allowances and two official trips. “This is approximately 4.4% of the total budget, excluding salaries and medical insurance,” Dena noted. For the financial year 2023/2024, Ksh503 million was allocated, but the office has had no access to these funds.
Dena highlighted that the total amount inaccessible over two years is around Ksh1 billion. Salaries and medical insurance have been paid, but the office cannot account for the usage of other funds as repeated attempts to get budget returns from the State House comptroller have been ignored.
The coming year’s allocation of Ksh579 million is awaited with uncertainty. Dena emphasized that the office had no input on the budget estimates that led to the allocations for the upcoming years, as reported by the Star Newspaper.
Communication issues were also addressed, with Dena criticizing State House’s preference for verbal communication on official matters and its failure to respond to correspondence. This includes requisitions for fuel, maintenance, office operations, contract renewals, and budget returns. She highlighted the importance of written communication for transparency and order.
The statement also covered the benefits entitled to Mama Ngina Kenyatta, the former First Lady. Contrary to claims, she has not received new vehicles from the current government and has had her drivers and security details withdrawn. Dena clarified that her vehicles were provided by previous administrations and have not been replaced or maintained by the current government.
Dena concluded by urging relevant institutions, including Parliament, the Auditor General, and the Controller of Budget, to investigate the issues raised. She stressed the office’s readiness to engage and respect for the rule of law while expressing concern over the government’s lack of commitment to fulfilling the Presidential Benefits Act.
Dena warned of the dangerous precedent being set by the government’s actions, quoting Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Injustice anywhere is a threat everywhere.” She expressed hope for a resolution through the appropriate channels, respecting legal and institutional processes.
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