Moody Awori will join a small club that includes former presidents Daniel arap Moi and Mwai Kibaki who take home more than Sh1 million monthly.
Mr Awori’s golden handshake will include a hefty monthly pension equivalent to 80 per cent of his last salary, a lumpsum of five times his last pay, security, medical insurance and diplomatic passport for himself and spouse.
He will receive a saloon car and a four-wheel drive vehicle, both of which will come with drivers and fuel allowance equivalent to 15 per cent of the monthly pay of the serving Deputy President.
Former Vice-President Moody Awori will from July be offered lavish retirement benefits at taxpayers’ expense, adding to the already heavy burden of maintaining top State officers in retirement.
Mr Awori will join a small club that includes former presidents Daniel arap Moi and Mwai Kibaki who take home more than Sh1 million monthly.
State House has factored in Mr Awori’s retirement package in its budget for financial year year starting July in line with the changes made to the Deputy President and Designated State Officers Act.
“We manage the welfare of retired presidents Mr Kibaki and Mr Moi. But in the next financial year, we are bringing on board honourable Moody Awori,” Dr John Makumi, the State House administration secretary told MPs on Wednesday.
He did not disclose Mr Awori’s monthly take home.
According to the Act, Mr Awori’s golden handshake will include a hefty monthly pension equivalent to 80 per cent of his last salary, a lumpsum of five times his last pay, security, medical insurance and diplomatic passport for himself and spouse.
He will receive a saloon car and a four-wheel drive vehicle, both of which will come with drivers and fuel allowance equivalent to 15 per cent of the monthly pay of the serving Deputy President. The vehicles will be replaced after every four years.
Taxpayers will also cater for maintenance of the vehicles at dealerships besides offering Mr Awori one personal assistant, one secretary, one accountant, two housekeepers, two senior support staff, two gardeners, armed security and two cleaners.
Mr Awori served as President Kibaki’s second Vice President between September 2003 and December 2007.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) in 2013 put Mr Awori’s gross pay including perks at Sh1.93 million.
Retirement benefits of former presidents have come under sharp criticism, especially in the last couple of years when allocations were increased by large margins even as the State insisted it had put in place austerity measures.
Mr Kibaki and Moi’s pensions will increase by 15.6 per cent from July to Sh74 million. If paid equally, the package assures each of the retired presidents a monthly payout of Sh3 million — a figure that is higher than President Uhuru Kenyatta’s official salary of Sh1.5 million.
The High Court last year stopped payment of allowances worth millions of shillings to the two former leaders, saying they were an unnecessary burden to the taxpayer.
The annual benefits are worth Sh58.8 million or Sh4.9 million monthly.
The former presidents’ retirement expenses will increase to Sh519.6 million next year, up from Sh321 million in the current year ending June.
The expenses include pension and allowances paid to former head of states as well cost of running their taxpayer-funded offices and staff including personal assistants, secretaries, messengers, drivers and bodyguards.
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