Governor Mutua picks war with MCAs over rejection of CEC nominees

The rejection of five county executive nominees has sparked a fresh war between Governor Alfred Mutua and Members of the County Assembly (MCAs).

The Committee on Appointments yesterday tabled a report in the assembly rejecting five individuals whose names had been submitted by the governor for vetting and possible consideration for various dockets.

Majority Leader Francis Ngunga, who tabled the report, told the assembly that all the five nominees, including three who served in the previous government, were found to be unsuitable and unqualified for the positions.

The committee also cited lack of passion in their respective fields, integrity issues and improper procedures for the appointment of the said officials as the key grounds for their rejection.

The five rejected nominees were Faith Wathome (Education), Ruth Mutua (Agriculture), Ali Maalim (Health), Naomi Mutie (Water) and Kimeu Mbithi (Public Service and ICT).

“The committee was not provided with information on the procedure used to arrive at the nominee,” Mr Ngunga, who is also the Mua MCA, told the assembly.

However, news of rejection of the said County Executive Committee (CEC) nominees was not received well by Dr Mutua.

In what is seen as the beginning of frosty relations between the executive and the second assembly, the governor read mischief and political witch-hunt, even as the MCAs accused the county boss of taking a hard-line position.

Partisan agenda

In a terse statement, Mutua accused the assembly of malice in pursuit of partisan political agenda.

“The committee acted in bad faith and has been hellbent on stopping the Executive from executing development and providing services to wananchi,” said the governor.

Mutua said in rejecting his list of CEC members, the MCAs misdirected, misread and misinterpreted the law on vetting to justify a pre-meditated position.

The rejection also received condemnation from MCAs allied to Mutua, who convened a press briefing to announce they were not party to the decision.

“We want to completely disassociate ourselves from the purported vetting of CECs and urge our colleagues to avoid pursuing partisan interests,” said Kangundo West MCA Titus Ikusya.

But the governor said there would be no vacuum in his government as the cabinet that was in office before the elections would continue serving until a new team was vetted and appointed.