President Uhuru Kenyatta presented a list of nominees to his Cabinet that included nine cabinet secretaries, seven principal secretaries and seven ambassadors for vetting by Parliament.
Former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Keriako Tobiko, who was nominated to head the Environment and Forestry Ministry, is yet to face the Committee on Appointment of the National Assembly after it received an affidavit and six letters raising issues on nominations of some cabinet secretaries.
The other secretaries awaiting vetting include Prof Margaret Kobia (Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs), Mr John Munyes (Petroleum and Mining), Dr Monica Juma (Foreign Affairs and International Trade), Mr Rashid Achesa (Sports and Heritage), Ms Farida Karoney (Lands, Housing and Urban Development), Ukur Yatani (Labour and Social Protection) and Peter Munya (East African Community and Northern Corridor Development).
[caption caption="Keriako Tobiko and Judi Wakhungu"]
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The window by which the public can present their objections to any nominee to the committee, which is chaired by Speaker Justin Muturi, is Tuesday 5 pm.
The Clerk of the National Assembly, Michael Sialai, told the Nation that information in the documents raised questions on some of the CS nominees.
“The Committee will meet before Thursday to deliberate on the issues. The public is advised that any matter they want to raise on the nominees should be in form of affidavits,” Mr Sialai stated adding that he will refer the information to the committee for more directions.
The Nation further disclosed that some of the issues in the documents include integrity, level of education, past records of the nominees in addition to failure to honour payment obligations to workers, creditors, and suppliers.
A source at the committee's secretariat told the newspaper: “There are those who claim that they have certain qualifications but when we cross-check with the institutions they claim to have gone to, it is not marching. Those are some of the issues they are required to respond to by way of affidavits."
If the allegations in the affidavits are proven, the nominees may not be recommended for appointment.
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta"]
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Earlier on Monday, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party Chairman, John Mbadi, warned Jubilee MPs to reject the nominees if at all their history cannot be easily understood.
"Vetting of Cabinet Secretaries need to be based on certain parameters and our friends in Jubilee should adhere to certain elements like ensuring that the nominees meet high levels of integrity and also ensure that they are competent individuals who can be able to deliver.
"If you are bringing someone to become Cabinet Secretary whose history is not well documented, then the Jubilee members need to ask themselves if they are doing the country justice," Mr Mbadi stated.
