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State recalls staff from late retired President Daniel arap Moi homes

Friday, July 30th, 2021 00:00 | By
The late Former President Daniel Arap Moi Photo/Print

Civil servants, who had been seconded to serve the late retired President Daniel arap Moi after he left office in 2002, have been ordered out of his residences in Kabarak and Kabarnet Gardens in Nairobi, People Daily can reveal.

The officers have instead been redeployed back to their respective parent ministries while others have proceeded on leave pending retirement. 

Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua is reported to have directed that all public servants who were serving Moi; who died on February 4, last year, including police officers, but had continued to operate from his private residences, be withdrawn and be re-assigned new duties from the beginning of this month.

Kinyua said the withdrawal of the officers was made after the budget to cover the late President’s expenses was discontinued by the National Treasury.

Long-serving

Those affected by the directive include the late President’s long-serving Press Secretary Lee Njiru, who had worked for the former Head of State for more than 40 years.

Contacted yesterday, Njiru confirmed that he has been redeployed to the Ministry of Information and Technology, after which he immediately proceeded on terminal leave pending his retirement. He is 72. 

Njiru disclosed that his contract is supposed to run until September 11, 2021.

Other senior officials, John Lokorio, who was the former President’s Private Secretary and Major General (rtd) Lazarus Sumbeiywo, a personal aide, have been been re-deployed to the Office of the President, while at least 30 police officers, some guarding Moi’s homes and others serving as his bodyguards, were sent back to the National Police Service.

Majority of the police officers have been re-deployed to the General Service Unit save for a few who will be guarding the late President’s Kabarak home, where he was buried.

Also affected by the government move is the Rev Silas Yego, a retired bishop of the Africa Inland Church and all trustees of the Moi African Foundation.

Parent ministry

Yesterday, Njiru, who started his career in the Ministry of Information before moving over to the Presidential Press Service during founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s reign and who shortly before Moi’s death had his contract extended by the Public Service Commission, confirmed that all the former President’s employees who were under the government’s pay roll had been redeployed “from the beginning of this financial year”.

“It is true, all of them have been either redeployed or retired. But it is worth noting that all those who had been serving  Moi, were actually  government employees.

We have been deployed to our parent ministries because we were serving Moi in our capacities as government officers and not in Moi’s personal capacity,” Njiru said of the action, which is reported to have affected all cadres of staff including domestic servants.

Since leaving office in 2002 when President Mwai Kibaki took over, Moi had been receiving retirement benefits, including a fleet of luxury cars, a fully furnished office and about 40 workers who were being catered for by taxpayers’ money.

The late former President was entitled to four secretaries, two personal assistants, four messengers, four drivers, housekeepers, home cleaners and bodyguards, all of whom are now out.

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