This archive report was first published on 1 September 2019.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's inauguration on November 28, 2017, was already a highly anticipated event, but it has now emerged that the ceremony may hit a snag due to a major financial setback.
According to a report from the committee responsible for the Assumption of the Office of the President, the team is still searching for cash to put its house in order, just days before the scheduled event.
As of Wednesday evening, the committee was in consultation with the National Treasury about the money, and reports emerging suggested that the team was 'really crying for money,' said government spokesperson Eric Kiraithe in an interview with a local daily on November 22, 2017.
The revelation has cast doubt on the nation's financial management, particularly given that planning such high-level events is a core part of any government's planning.
The Secretary to the Cabinet, Joseph Kinyua, approached the National Treasury on Thursday for the monies through a request to Treasury CS Henry Rotich, but the negotiation is still ongoing on the budget with the Treasury.
With the inauguration set to be a 'freaky affair' as the committee clutches on any straws left to make the event meet a basic standard, questions are being raised about the cost of the ceremony and whether it will be a multi-billion affair that will further strain taxpayers.
