- Mwaura said the vehicles are routinely maintained and serviced at State House.
- Uhuru’s office had denied reports that the government acquired new vehicles for his office as required by the constitution.
Image: ISAAC MWAURA / X
The government has said claims by the Office of the Fourth President on the allocation of vehicles to retired President Uhuru Kenyatta are misleading.
Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura said Uhuru has been provided with 14 vehicles, which are fuelled and maintained by the State House.
Mwaura said the claim by Uhuru spokesperson Kanze Dena that the fuel cards have been blocked is misleading.
“We put it on record that the vehicles are fuelled through the State House Master Card. Our records show that several vehicles were fuelled as recently as May 15, 2024,” he said.
He added that the vehicles are also routinely maintained and serviced at State House.
“These services has been offered as recently as on April 5, May 7, May 8, and May 15, 2024,” Mwaura added.
He also dismissed claims that the vehicles were old and not deserving of the retired President.
“The vehicles were bought in the years ranging between 2020, 2021 and 2022. They are therefore very befitting,” he said.
He named the vehicles as two Range Rover Autobiography, two Range Rover Sport, a Mercedes S600L, an armoured Land Cruiser V8 and four Prados.
He said Uhuru’s office has sent a request for four vehicles whose cost is Ssh140 million.
“They are Range Rover Vogue (First Edition) at Sh51.3 million, Mercedes Benz S500 worth Sh66.4 million, Toyota Land Cruiser Zx-VXRK6 worth Ssh22.5 million and Toyota Fortuna at Sh10.6 million,” he claimed.
Uhuru’s office had denied reports that the government acquired new vehicles for his office as required by the constitution.
In a press briefing, Dena alleged that he is currently using vehicles given to him on a transitional basis.
Kanze claims the vehicles in use are those Uhuru departed with from Kasarani after the handing-over ceremony in September 2022.
"After the transition, a conversation on the purchase of the vehicles as required by the Act commenced between the two offices...," Kanze said.
“The identification of the vehicles was done down to the colour of the vehicles and then the conversation stops, nod discussions have been revived, we don’t know if the cars were purchased or not."
Kanze said the vehicles are two Toyota Land Cruisers, one Mercedes Benz, and one Ranger Rover used by the former First Lady.
She went on to point out that among the four Toyota Prados assigned to the retired president, three are used by his security detail.
This is in addition to a Toyota Prado used by the office and a Subaru Forester.
The Presidential Retirement Benefits Act 2003 provides lucrative retirement benefits for former heads of state including, over 30 staff, luxury cars, unlimited health insurance coverage and an international travel allowance of up to four trips a year.