MPs given 21 days to vet devolution team

Parliament’s committee on Local Authorities on Tuesday got a 21-day ultimatum to vet the nominees of the team that will manage the devolution of power and resources to the county governments.

Speaker Kenneth Marende issued the June 19 deadline when he delivered the names of the nine-member team — whose role is to ensure a smooth shift of roles and resources from the Central Government to the 47 counties — to the House.

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, said Mr Marende, had settled on Mr Kinuthia WaMwangi as the chairman of the crucial Transition Authority.

They had also settled on Hongo Angeline Awino, Safia Abdi, Mary Ndeto, Jacqueline Mogeni, Erastus Rweria, Simeon Pkiyach, Garise Bakari Omara and Dr Dabar Maalim as members of the authority.

The Speaker said the names and credentials of all the nominees, including how they performed in the interviews for the job, should be submitted to the House team for the vetting and subsequent approval or rejection of the nominees.

Mr Marende said the law was explicit on the time within which the MPs could work on the names and as such, the House team had to move fast.

The Transition Authority is tasked with managing the phase-out of key government functions to the counties.