Uhuru should stay silent like Moi and Kibaki after their retirement

President Uhuru Kenyatta.[File, Standard]

In Kenya, the comportment of former heads of state is not left to custom alone but is codified in statute. The Presidential Retirement Benefits Act 2003 sets out a clear framework intended to preserve institutional decorum and guard against the blurring of past and present authority.

Under its provisions, a retired president may not hold office in a political party beyond six months after leaving power, an interval designed to ease transition rather than entrench continued partisan influence. Nor may former incumbents negotiate or strike agreements on behalf of the government, receive intelligence briefings, or access the State House without invitation. Moreover, they remain bound by the Official Secrets Act, which prohibits the disclosure of confidential state information.