The National Assembly Vetting Committee on Tuesday, October 25, rejected the appointment of nominee Peninah Malonza as the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism.
The announcement was made after submissions made by the leader of the Majority Kimani Ichung'wah, who affirmed that the committee had resolved to reject the CS nominee.
"Pursuant to the provisions of Article 152 (2), 154 (2) and 156 (2) of the Constitution and Sections 3 and 8 of the Public Appointment Act (2011) this house rejects the appointment of the honourable Peninah Malonza OGW as the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Wildlife and Heritage," Ichung'wah noted.
In the report by the Vetting Committee, they moved that Malonza lacked did not satisfy them with her responses to some of the questions put before her during the vetting.
"The nominee did not demonstrate knowledge of topical, administrative and technical issues touching on the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage.
"Consequently, she lacks the requisite abilities and experience to serve as the Cabinet Secretary," the report read in part.
Notably, the report from the committee is not final as members of the NA assembly will still debate and vote for or against nominees in a secret ballot.
However, the announcement was protested by Minority Whip Junet Mohamed, who raised a point of order stating that more nominees had been rejected.
"I want to ask them to pay attention to the report by the Minority attached to the main one that is rejecting the nomination of Aisha Jumwa and Mithika Linturi," Junet stated.
Following the concerns made by Junet, Speaker Moses Wetangula alerted the MPs that both reports will be made available to them ahead of the final decision.
"The reports are available at the documents office. Please read and make informed choices when you vote," Wetangula stated.
During her vetting on October 19, the former Kitui County deputy governor was called out by the MPs over the misrepresentation of facts when responding to questions by the panel.
In one instance, she claimed that only Ksh2.5 million was set aside by the governmrnt for compensating Kenyans affected by wildlife conflict.
Malonza then clarified that the figure was Ksh2.5 billion, blaming the mishap on a slip of the tongue.
