Staff pay in Gachagua’s office nearly tripled before his impeachment as Deputy President – CoB report

A report by the Controller of Budget (CoB) has revealed that remuneration for workers in the Office of the Deputy President soared significantly in the quarter ending September 2024, coinciding with Rigathi Gachagua’s turbulent final weeks before his impeachment in October.

The report indicates that employee compensation surged by 180.1 per cent during the period, reaching Sh230.86 million, up from Sh82.42 million in the same period in 2023.

The dramatic increase in wages drove the office’s total recurrent expenditure to rise by 61.5 per cent, amounting to Sh425.87 million compared to Sh263.62 million in the first quarter of the 2023/24 fiscal year.

Other notable areas of increased spending included routine motor vehicle maintenance, which ballooned over 15-fold to Sh25.87 million from Sh1.6 million the previous year.

Similarly, the purchase of fuel, oil, and lubricants nearly doubled, climbing to Sh30.18 million from Sh11.02 million.

Utility expenses, such as water and electricity, rose by 93.5 per cent to Sh8.63 million from Sh4.46 million, while hospitality costs increased by 14.4 per cent to Sh44.45 million from Sh38.86 million.

Communication supplies and services, which had no recorded expenditure the previous year, surged to Sh6.73 million.

Travel costs

Conversely, travel expenses saw a decline. Foreign travel costs dropped sharply by 94.5 per cent to Sh1.72 million from Sh31.48 million, while domestic travel expenses fell by 18.9 per cent to Sh42.12 million from Sh51.95 million.

The report further highlights that in July 2024, the Deputy President’s office faced significant budgetary cuts under the first Supplementary Budget for the fiscal year.

These revisions reduced the office’s recurrent allocation from Sh4.57 billion to Sh2.69 billion. This included reductions of Sh1 billion in support services, with cuts targeting travel (Sh113 million), hospitality (Sh240 million), and vehicle purchases (Sh100 million).

Finance Bill protests

The cuts followed the rejection of the Finance Bill, 2024, which sparked widespread youth-led protests.

Gachagua was impeached on October 17, 2024, in a swift process that paved the way for Kindiki to assume the role of Deputy President.

Since his removal, Gachagua has continuously criticised President William Ruto’s administration, describing his impeachment as politically driven and procedurally flawed.

Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse, who introduced the impeachment motion against Gachagua, accused him of 11 charges, including undermining the President and the Cabinet, which disrupted the government’s operations.

Gachagua was also accused of corruption, insubordination, money laundering, gross misconduct, and constitutional violations. The motion was approved by 282 MPs in the National Assembly.

Speaking at Tetu Catholic Church on Sunday, the former DP claimed that his honesty and willingness to challenge the President for misleading Kenyans ultimately cost him his job.

“In the first year, I thought we were on the same page, but I soon realised it was all lies. We promised to finish the Ruring’u stadium, but two years have passed with no progress. There are no roads, no water, no medicine in hospitals, and we’re just lying to Kenyans every day,” he said.

He stated that he had warned the president about the consequences of making empty promises, adding that this was the main reason behind the impeachment plot against him.