Nakuru MCAs approve public service board nominees

The Nakuru County Assembly has approved Governor Lee Kinyanjui’s nominees to the county public service board.

The nominees include Ms Serah Mutare Mwangi, Mr Simon Korir Rabwet, Mr Paul Muthangya and Ms Mary Nasieku Yiapan.

However, before the assembly approved the names on Tuesday, there was a heated debate as to whether it was the mandate of the appointment committee led by Speaker Joel Maina Kairu or the Labour committee to vet the nominees before the approval.

Rhonda Ward MCA Timothy Kabutu Kabiru, Peter Mbae (Kabazi), Daniel Kamau Githengi (Shabab), Stanley Karanja (Naivasha East) and Peter Mwamba Kajwang (Kaptembwo) faulted the Appointment committee for usurping the powers of the Labour committee. But they were overruled by Speaker Kairu.

LABOUR COMMITTEE

“The Labour committee and any other sectorial committee vets all public officers that have gone through the county Public Service Board but in this case, the nominees did not go through the board because they are direct nominees by the governor,” ruled Mr Kairu.

He added: “Just the same way the governor nominates the executive, the names are forwarded to the assembly for vetting by the committee on appointment and not Labour committee.”

Interestingly, Governor Kinyanjui recently appointed Nakuru and Naivasha municipal boards and their vetting was done by the Transport committee and not the Appointment committee.

“The speaker should give the Assembly a proper direction on the roles of Labour and Appointment committees when it comes to matters of vetting of names of public officers submitted to the assembly by the governor,” said Mr Kabutu who is also the Labour committee vice chairperson.

Naivasha East MCA Stanley Karanja said the names of the nominees would not have been submitted the board as Governor Kinyanjui had sacked members of the board.

BAD PRECEDENT

“The powers of the Labour committee were usurped by the Appointment committee and this might set a bad precedent in the assembly. There was a vacuum at the county service public board after the sacking by the governor and therefore the nominees should have been vetted by the Labour committee and not the Appointment committee,” said Mr Karanja.

Mr Kairu said there is no law which states that the Labour committee has exclusive rights to vet all nominees or a law which bars the Appointment committee from vetting the board members.

Gilgil MCA Jane Wangui Ngugi supported the motion saying the approval of the board nominees will hasten the recruitment of new staff in critical departments such as health, roads, agriculture and education.

“Subukia Level Four hospital is facing an acute shortage of staff and so is the agriculture department. The board should move fast and recruit nurses, engineers and pre-primary teachers and extension officers among other staff to improve service delivery to residents,” said Ms Waiganjo.