Cabinet nominees vetting begins Thursday

By ALLAN KISIA

NAIROBI; KENYA: Vetting of the 16 nominees to the Cabinet kicks off on Thursday in an exercise that will end on Saturday.

There were reports earlier that CORD members of the parliamentary Committee on Appointment were planning to boycott the exercise but Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo assured that they would be present during the vetting.

Midiwo said CORD had not pulled out of the committee due to the wrangles surrounding the composition of two watchdog committees, the Parliamentary Investment Committee (PIC) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Midiwo further said they had not withdrawn membership to other committees that have already been constituted.

Leader of Majority Adan Duale confirmed that the vetting will go on as planned noting that they had arranged a meeting to look at the memorandums from the public.

“If we don’t vet them, they will automatically be Cabinet Secretaries when the time for doing this exercise expires,” he stated.

Suba MP John Mbadi had earlier indicated that CORD members of the committee may not participate in the vetting exercise.

“The other side might go on and vet the nominees without us but we will question the integrity of the process,” he added.

Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau expressed confidence that the exercise will commence without any hitches.

“I have no information on whether the CORD side has withdrawn from the committee. If they don’t come, it will be too bad but I am sure they will be there,” he stated.

The Clerk of the National Assembly Justin Bundi invited the nominees to Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Amphitheatre Hall, in Nairobi from Thursday to Saturday.

Each of the 16 nominees has been allocated the date and time they are to appear before the committee.

“All candidates should bring with them originals of their identity cards, academic and professional certificates and any other supporting documents and testimonials,” said Bundi in the letter.

The first one to appear before the committee on Thursday will be Ms Anne Waiguru, the Devolution and Planning nominee. She will appear before the committee at 9 am followed at 10.30 am by Raychelle Omamo, the Defence nominee.

Foreign Affairs nominee Amina Mohammed will appear before the committee at noon on the same day while Jacob Kaimenyi, the Education and Science and Technology nominee will appear before the committee at 2. 30pm. National Treasury nominee Henry Rotich will appear before the committee at 4 pm.

On Friday, Health nominee James Wainaina will be the first to appear before the committee at 9am.

Transport and Infrastructure nominee M S Kamau will go for vetting at 10.30 am followed by Judy Wakhungu, Environment, Water and Mineral Resources nominee, at noon.

Land, Housing and Urban Development nominee Charity Ngilu will go before the committee at 2.30 while Fred Matiangi, Information, Communication and Technology nominee, will be vetted from 4pm.

On Saturday, the last day, Sports, Culture and Arts nominee Hassan Arero will be the first to appear before the committee at 9am.

He will be followed by Energy and Petroleum nominee Davis Chirchir who will be vetted from 10.30 and then Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries nominee Felix Koskei at noon.

Adan Mohammed, Industrialisation and Enterprise Development nominee will go in at 2.30 pm followed by East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism nominee Phyllis Kipkingor-Kandie at 4pm. Mining nominee Najib Balala will be the last at 5.30pm.

The Committee on Appointments had earlier indicated that it is prepared to work overtime to beat the constitutional deadline of approving or rejecting President Uhuru’s nominees to the Cabinet.

Duale earlier assured that the committee is committed to completing its work in time.

If Parliament votes to reject even one of the nominees, the Motion will be lost and Uhuru and Ruto will have to go back to the drawing board to replace those rejected.

If Parliament approves the list as presented by the committee, Uhuru will have to formally appoint the Cabinet.