Public vehicles on sale at throw-away prices

Currently, the Treasury can only account for 1,610 cars although it had been estimated that 2,796 vehicles would be returned after the new policy took effect.

It is also not clear how many vehicles had been given out to other departments. Some departments like the police and the military were spared the new vehicle-surrender policy.

Others exempted included the Electoral Commission of Kenya, State House, the Judiciary and the Public Service Commission.

The policy was seen as the most serious attempt to tackle the problem of high costs of transportation in the civil service.

At the time, a Cabinet minister was supposed to have two vehicles at his or her disposal. But holders of influential portfolios such as Internal Security, Finance and Justice and Constitutional Affairs had fleets, which they were asked to surrender.

The policy also reduced the number of drivers working in the public service. Ironically, the Government has been recruiting drivers in some of the ministries since the policy came up.