Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka reportedly made a formal application in March to have the lavish pension offered to retired vice presidents.
According to the retirement benefits Act of 2015, a retired vice-president is entitled to a monthly pension equal to 80 per cent of the salary he got in the last month in office, a lump sum payment equal to one year’s salary for each term served, and fuel allowance equal to 15 per cent of the monthly salary of current office holder.
Reports by Nation indicate that Musyoka will receive a lump sum pay of Ksh8.64 million, Ksh720,000 in monthly lifelong pension and Ksh108,000 in fuel allowance every month.
The former VP is also entitled to a medical cover to cater for treatment in both local and foreign hospitals that also covers their spouses.
Furthermore, he will get a four-wheel drive of an engine capacity not exceeding 3,000 cc and two saloon cars each of a 2,000-cc capacity engine. The vehicles are to be replaced after four years.
The hefty pension package also includes payments for their personal assistants, secretaries, messengers, drivers, and bodyguards.
In 2015, President Uhuru Kenyatta declined to assent to a bill that would have seen Musyoka and ODM leader Raila Odinga receive the hefty perks.
Following the March 9, 2018 handshake, however, the state softened the stance paving the way for the two leaders to receive their monies.
These payments are expected to add to the taxpayers’ burden of keeping former officials comfortable in retirement.
The two leaders currently earn a monthly pension of nearly Ksh200,000 for the multiple terms they served as MPs for Lang’ata and Mwingi North constituencies respectively.
Other leaders who are also earning pensions include former Vice-President Moody Awori, former Speakers Kenneth Marende, Ekwe Ethuro, and Francis ole Kaparo, retired deputy Chief Justice Kalpana Rawal and two other ex-Chief Justices who are still alive Bernard Chunga (1999-2003) and his successor Evan Gicheru (2003-2011).
