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President William Ruto has revealed that the offices of spouses of elected leaders such as the first lady, 2nd lady and others are likely to be defunded going forward.
During a media round table on Sunday evening, President Ruto acknowledged that he had listened to the voice of young people calling for austerity measures in the government.
“I know citizens have said there is no need for the office of the first lady and second lady. These officer were there before but because we have to live within your means, from tomorrow they will not be part of our equation,” President Ruto stated.
In the financial year 2024/25 which starts on July 1, the office of First Lady Rachel Ruto had been allocated Sh696 million, which is Sh100 million more than the previous allocation.
The office of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s spouse Dorcas had been allocated Sh557 million.
President Ruto also mentioned that the office of the president would also be affected by austerity measures, pointing to a reduction in the number of staff as well.
“We are going to cut our coat according to the size of our cloth,” he said.
The head of state also announced that he shelved the plan to appoint Chief Administrative Secretaries after realising that the economy could not support them.
In March 2023, the president had appointed 50 CASs before the courts termed the move as unconstitutional. Parliament then rationalised the framework but Ruto is yet to reappoint them.
In the ministry leadership hierarchy, the CAS would have been directly under the Cabinet Secretary and above the Principal Secretary. Besides good salaries, the CASs would have enjoyed other benefits and perks such as
- Monthly salary - Sh765,138
- House allowance - Sh200,000
- Entertainment allowance - Sh100,000
- Car grant - Sh10 million
- Mortgage - Sh35 million
- Health cover - Sh10 million outpatient and Sh3 million inpatient
The head of state of Sunday added that he was also aware of sentiments about government expenditure and opulence by government officials.
He emphasised that going forward, public officers may be barred from participating in harambees where a section of Kenyans claim have been used to display opulence.