Four MPs threaten to reject Principal Secretaries list

By James Omoro

Kenya: Four MPs have vowed to reject nominees for Principal Secretaries posts if the Government does not furnish them with a report by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission that questioned the integrity of some of them.

MPs Silvance Osele (Kabondo Kasipul), T J Kajwang’ (Ruaraka), Oyugi Magwanga (Kasipul) and David Ochieng’ (Ugenya) said they would not allow nominees to be approved in Parliament without evidence to prove they are fit to serve in public office.

They said it was prudent for members of the National Assembly to have the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Report to enable them to understand reputations of the nominees before they are approved for the intended positions.

Speaking during the burial of the late Mary Ojwang’, Osele’s mother-in-law in Rachuonyo North District, the law makers alleged that the Government was planning to have to nominees whose integrity is in question endorsed by Parliament.

Good reputations

“It is our wish to have people with good reputations in prominent positions in the Government to enhance good services Kenyans deserve. We are going to be very vigilant in Parliament to ensure the nominees integrity is questionable are disqualified. But this can only be possible if the Government avails the report,” Osele said.

Kajwang’ alleged that a number of Cabinet Secretaries nominees with questionable backgrounds were endorsed due to lack of proper scrutiny by MPs.

He said vetting by members of the National Assembly was not thorough because it took place without reports from the anti-graft body and the time allocated for the exercise was short.

He argued that the Government had tricked the MPs into endorsing the names by arguing that the anti-corruption report had not been prepared.