Kenyan ministers to retain chase cars, says Mutua
Since the Budget speech in June, 2009, Mr Kenyatta and Treasury PS Joseph Kinyua have been using VW Passat, a modest vehicle compared to the preferred Mercedes Benz models, which are more costly to buy and run. Photo/FILE
Cabinet ministers will retain their chase cars despite a directive restricting public officials to use only one official vehicle.
Government spokesman Alfred Mutua, in his weekly press briefing on Thursday, said the government provides chase cars to individual officials based on the level of threat to their lives, as such the “security arrangements will remain.”
Apart from the President and the Prime Minister, other government officials who traditionally use chase cars include Internal Security minister George Saitoti, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy Prime Ministers Uhuru Kenyatta and Musalia Mudavadi and Environment Minister John Michuki.
However, since his Budget speech in June, Mr Kenyatta and Treasury PS Joseph Kinyua have been using VW Passat, a modest vehicle compared to the preferred Mercedes Benz models, which are more costly to buy and run.
Mr Kenyatta had directed all ministers, assistant ministers, Provincial Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries and other public officials to surrender all fuel-guzzling cars they were using.
Instead, they were directed to use just one official car each, whose fuel capacity should not exceed 1800cc.
