Taxpayers forked out Sh352 million, which is higher than the Sh300 million that the Assumption of Office of the President Committee had budgeted for the event.
Documents tabled in Parliament shows that a total of Sh146, 260,260 was spent on security, protocol and logistics.
About 12 heads of State and governments from Africa and Israel attended the ceremony.
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s second term swearing-in ceremony overshot official budget by Sh52 million, documents tabled in Parliament show.
Taxpayers forked out Sh352 million, which is higher than the Sh300 million that the Assumption of Office of the President Committee had budgeted for the event.
Documents tabled in Parliament shows that a total of Sh146, 260,260 was spent on security, protocol and logistics.
The committee, tasked with overseeing the change of guard in the highest office in the land, spent Sh98,927,973 on foreign affairs.
A further Sh46,053,773 million was used on the State luncheon for the invited heads of State, heads of government and other dignitaries.
About 12 heads of State and governments from Africa and Israel attended the ceremony.
The Budget Sub-committee chaired by the Treasury PS Kamau Thugge said entertainment cost the taxpayer a further Sh15 million.
Media and communications for the event that was beamed live by major national television and radio stations from Moi Sports Centre Kasarani accounted for Sh45,899,880.
“The Budget Sub-committee was chaired by the principal secretary, National Treasury. It was responsible for receiving, harmonizing, approving and disbursing budgetary requirements from various sub-committees. The subcommittee was composed of all chairs of subcommittees,” says the report, tabled in Parliament by Leader of Majority Aden Duale.
The Assumption of Office of President Committee has proposed a wide range of recommendations to the Act that include extension of the time for the swearing-in of the President.
Under the current law, the President-elect is supposed to be sworn-in between 10am and 2pm.
“The Legal Affairs subcommittee recommends amendments of section 13(2) of the Assumption of Office of the President Act to enlarge the time period within which the President-Elect must take the oath/affirmation of Office to between 9.00 am to 4.00 pm,” the committee said in its report.
The committee is also seeking changes to the law to introduce a section that stipulates that whenever a declaration of the President-Elect is nullified by the Supreme Court, the Article 134 limitations on the Powers of the President under Temporary Incumbency are also lifted up to and until the casting of the first vote in the subsequent fresh presidential election.
The House team also wants statutory provisions introduced in the Act clarifying the processes, requirements and scope of the scenario set out under Article 147(3) of the Constitution, which allows the Deputy President to act as the President whenever the President is absent, temporarily incapacitated or temporarily designates the Deputy President as the Acting President so as to provide certainty and clarity on the same.
It is also seeking to have section 5(2)(b) of the Act amended to specify that the Attorney General shall act as the chairperson of the committee in the absence of, or in the event of a vacancy in the office of the Secretary to the Cabinet who chairs the committee.
