Parliament approves hiring of spy chief, envoys

Parliament on Wednesday approved the appointment of Major-General Philip Wachira Kameru as the new director-general of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Also approved were 25 envoys, clearing the way for their swearing in.

Wednesday’s special sitting of Parliament, convened specifically to discuss the appointments, was devoid of the fireworks promised by those who opposed Maj-Gen Kameru’s appointment.

This was the first time that Parliament approved the appointment of a NIS chief and envoys, a requirement under the new Constitution.

Sentiment in the House was fairly unanimous and after an hour and half of debate, MPs asked for a vote and approved Maj-Gen Kameru’s appointment.

The 25 nominees to various ambassadorial postings — 16 new appointees, three in missions, four based at the Foreign Affairs ministry and one newly appointed diplomat — all sailed through.

DRAMATIC MOMENT

Although some MPs from the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy had suggested the nomination of Maj-Gen Kameru would present them an opportunity to criticize the President for failing to nominate the NIS head from outside central Kenya, there was little of that.

The biggest dramatic moment of the afternoon came as the MPs debated the report on the ambassadors, when Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa claimed he had dissented on some nominees but that had been removed from the report.

After an exchange between him and the leadership of the committee, Speaker Justice Muturi criticized the clerks of the committee for poor record keeping and suggested chairman Ndung’u Gethenji could have done a better job handling the team.

Mr Gethenji was on the spot in the morning when he tried to table the report of the committee before the Speaker had approved it.

Earlier, MPs criticized the performance of the intelligence service and said they hoped Maj-Gen Kameru would change it for the better and suggested different ways it can work.

EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN

There were expressions of concern that the agency had lost its focus on security and had become politicised.

Defence and Foreign Relations Committee member Adan Keynan said that over the last five years, NIS’ functions had been politicised and the perception had been created that it does more of a political than a security job.

Maj-Gen Kameru, he said, should allow the rest of the security agencies to do their work.

“Over the last few years, other agencies have been complaining that NIS has transformed itself into the prefect of the other security agencies,” said Mr Keynan.

Minority Leader Francis Nyenze supported the nomination but said that the next time, President Kenyatta should appoint someone from outside central Kenya.

Deputy Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo also supported Maj-Gen Kameru’s nomination but said the head of NIS should sit in the National Police Service Commission so that the information gathered by the agency can be given to the police.

MIGORI CHAOS

“Right now NIS can gather information about a chicken stolen in Siaya and take it to the President,” he said.

He said the House investigated the Westgate Mall attack last year, when NIS said it passed on intelligence to the police but that the assertion was not verifiable.

Mr Midiwo cited the massacre in Mpeketoni and the disruption of the presidential function in Migori on Monday as incidents that the NIS should have warned of in advance.

“There is no way the President can go to a place which is not hostile to anybody like Migori and get embarrassed and intelligence is there. Even if politicians had sponsored these people, the intelligence should have been there,” said Mr Midiwo.

“It is wrong for the President not to be told that he is going to an area where people don’t want to see even the governor. Why is he going to distribute nets when he could have sent the minister?” he asked.

Majority Leader Aden Duale said Maj-Gen Kameru’s main job would be to reorganise NIS so that Kenya is safe from terrorists, drug dealers, money launderers and organised crime.

“Being the director-general of the NIS is not a birthday. He is not like the director of veterinary services at Kabete,” said Mr Duale.

On the ambassadors, Mr Midiwo said Parliament needs to come up with a law to determine the education standards and calibre of ambassadors.

(READ: Report on NIS chief Philip Kameru to be tabled)

(READ: Uhuru nominates Major-General Philip Kameru as spy chief)

LIST OF NEW AMBASSADORS

Amb Prof. Sam Ongeri - UN Habitat

Amb Chirau Ali Mwakwere - Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

Hon Robinson Githae - Washington, DC, USA

Hon Kiema Kilonzo - Ankara, Turkey

Mr Richard Opembe - Dublin, Ireland

Hon. Mohammud Mohamed - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Ms Lucy Chelimo - Ottawa, Canada

Dr George Masafu - Kinshasa, DRC

Prof Julius Bitok - Khartoum, Sudan

Mr Joseph Magut - Berlin, Germany

Mr Isaac Njenga - Windhoek, Namibia

Hon Sheikh Dor - Muscat, Oman

Ms Sophie Kadzo Kombe - Lusaka, Zambia

Major-General (Rtd) Jeoff Otieno - Cairo, Egypt

Stephen Ndungu Karau - Geneva, Switzerland

Ms Rukia Subow - Tehran, Iran

Amb Mohamed Gello - Seoul, Korea

Amb Jean Kamau - Bangkok, Thailand

Amb Josephat Maikara - Luanda, Angola

Amb Lazarus Ombayi, Amayo - London, United Kingdom

Amb John Lanyasunya - Algiers, Algeria

Amb Solomon Karanja Maina - Tokyo, Japan

Amb Ali Abbas - Kuwait City, Kuwait

Mr Richard Lemoshira - Harare, Zimbabwe

Prof George Godia - Unesco