Nairobi — Ministers and Permanent Secretaries are set to surrender vehicles with over 1800cc on Wednesday as they receive new ones with lower engine capacities.

The Ministry of Finance on Tuesday announced that 129 new vehicles are with the dealers and ministers, their assistants and PSs will get them while they give back the fuel guzzling limousines.

"The chief mechanical and transport engineer will keep the returned vehicles ...and by so doing the new policy will start being operational today," Chairman of the transport task force in Treasury, Donald Kibera told the Daily Nation.

He said the officials are to limit themselves to one vehicle each but added that service delivery will not be hampered if there was need for further consultations.

Top of the range

However, the new policy will not affect the transport allocations of the President, Prime Minister and Vice President. They will continue using top of the range vehicles complete with a motorcade and security chase cars.

The task force has drafted a transport policy that will impose strict measures on the use of government vehicles if passed by the Cabinet. So far about 2,000 vehicles have been surrendered at the district and provincial levels.

Some 500 GK vehicles have been sold and about 720 serviceable ones distributed to various departments especially provincial administrators and Administration police in remote areas.

"Since the Grand Coalition Government was formed transport expenditure has shot up to over Sh4 billion. This is going to come down and funds spread to needy services such as drought, famine, health and education," Mr Kibera said.

So far only the National Assembly has officially written to Finance Minister expressing their willingness to surrender vehicles including two belonging to Speaker Kenneth Marende and his deputy Farah Maalim.