Committee to hold public approval hearings for Rawal and Kimemia

Head of Civil Service Francis Kimemia and Lady Justice Kalpana Rawal. Their appointment is yet to be approved by Parliament.

By Isaiah Lucheli

Nairobi, Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta has forwarded to parliament the names of Kalpana Rawal and Francis Kimemia for appointment as the Deputy Chief Justice and Secretary to the Cabinet respectively.

Through a communication to the National Assembly delivered by the speaker Justin Muturi, the president noted that the approval of the names had not been carried out due to delays in the formation of committees.

Muturi explained that following previous communications, the appointment of the two was one of the businesses that had been pending for inordinately long time and called for the expediting of the approval process.

“In view of this, I now direct that the nominee’s name and curriculum vitae be forwarded to the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs for the necessary approval hearings to be conducted,” said the speaker.

The speaker directed that committee should notify the nominees and the general public of the time and place for holding the approval hearings, at least seven days prior to the hearings.

“Owing to the strict statutory deadlines, I now order that the notification be made tomorrow May 16, 2013,” he said.

The Committee is expected to commence the hearings on Wednesday May 22, 2013 and the sessions would be open to the public.

The Committee was directed to table its report following the vetting exercise to parliament before Tuesday May, 28, 2013 for consideration.

“In exercise of powers conferred upon him by Article 166 (1) (a) as read with Section 24 (2) of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, the President vide a letter dated February 28, 2013, nominated the Hon. Lady Justice Rawal Kalpana Hasmukhrai to be approved for the position of Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya,” the message from the speaker read in part.

Article 166 (1) (a) of the Constitution provides that “The President shall appoint the Chief Justice and the Deputy Chief Justice, in accordance with the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, and subject to the approval of the National Assembly”.

The position of Deputy Chief Justice became vacant after Justice Nancy Baraza resigned after a tribunal which investigated her conduct recommended for her removal over gross misconduct.

The tribunal chaired by the former Tanzanian Chief Justice Augustino Ramadhani was set up to investigate her conduct following a clash with security guard Rebecca Kerubo at the Village Market on the eve of 2012.