Former president Uhuru Kenyatta is among members of his family who were affected by the withdrawal and scaling down of security seconded to them.
Officials said the ex-president’s security had “some” of his security withdrawn on Wednesday in a surprise move.
As a former president, he is entitled to security.
But some of those close to him said he was surprised when he was informed by some of his security had been recalled.
Reports indicate that some of his family members were also affected.
“All I know is that some members of his family are the ones who are badly affected. They lost their security,” said a source aware of the developments.
The source said Uhuru remained with about six guards after the number was scaled down.
No reason was given for the move. Inspector General of police Japhet Koome refused to comment on the saga but he is expected to address the issue in a press conference in Mombasa.
He did not respond to our queries. As a former president and his mother Mama Ngina, a former First Lady, and his wife Margaret, they are entitled to security.
Uhuru has a military officer- a colonel- seconded to him as an ADC.
He, however, does not wear his uniform as it is the case when he was in office.
The Presidential Retirement Benefits Act 2013 says the former president is entitled to at least six bodyguards and security in both urban and rural homes on a need basis as determined by the ministry of interior from time to time.
However, the same law allows the state to deprive him of the benefits if Parliament passes a resolution on the same.
This can happen if the retired president gets another job in the government and earns a salary or is jailed for over three years or actively participates in the running of politics.
We could not get a comment from the retired president on the saga. His handlers, however, said the security seconded to him had been “badly affected and compromised” without elaborating.
The ex-president has kept a low profile since he left office last September.
He talked about current political developments early this week, saying he had no time for those talking too much.
