Vetting teams clear Uhuru’s nominees for appointment

President Uhuru Kenyatta with his counterpart Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni acknowledges greetings from members of the public during official inauguration of Busia One Stop Border Post on February 24, 2018. [photo/BENJAMIN SAKWA]

President Kenyatta’s nominees for principal secretaries, ambassadors, and Judicial Service Commission have been cleared by various National Assembly departmental committees.

Sources within some of the committees yesterday told The Standard that they had passed the nominees in their reports to be tabled in the House tomorrow.

The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee chairman William Cheptumo said his committee had completed its report on the Judicial Service Commission nominees – former Agriculture minister Felix Koskei, former Kenyatta University vice chancellor Olive Mugenda, and former National Assembly National Assembly clerk Patrick Gichohi.

“In terms of whether we have cleared them or not can only be known when we table the report before the House on Tuesday. Let’s wait until we make it public,” Mr Cheptumo said.

But a member of the committee said all the three nominees had been approved.

It is the same case with the Defence and Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Kajiado South MP Katoo ole Metito, which has cleared all the nominees for ambassadorial postings and Foreign Affairs principal secretary, Macharia Kamau.

NASA MPs boycotted most of the committee vetting sessions, as they did during the vetting of nine Cabinet secretaries, who were all cleared and endorsed by the Jubilee-dominated National Assembly.

Permanent representative

Prof Jacob Kaimenyi, designated to be the country’s permanent representative at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Dr Cleopha Mailu (Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Geneva), and Prof Judi Wakhungu (France) are some of the former CSs waiting for Parliament to approve their names for appointment to head the country’s missions. Others are Dan Kazungu (Tanzania), Phyllis Kandie (Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union), Willy Bett (India), Dr Hassan Wario (Austria), and outgoing State House Comptroller Lawrence Lenayapa (The Netherlands).

PS nominees who sources indicated had been given a clean bill of health by their respective committees are Major General (rtd) Gordon Kihalangwa (Immigration, Border Control and Registration of Persons), former Coast regional commissioner Nelson Marwa (Devolution), Safina Kwekwe (Gender), Julius Muia (Planning), Hamadi Boga (Agriculture), Peter Tum (Health), and Joseph Irungu (Water).