MPs threaten to skip Ben Chumo vetting as SRC chairman

Embattled former Kenya Power CEO Mr Ben Chumo is expected to be vetted on Monday as the chairman of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) chairman despite some MPs saying that they will not be party to the exercise over his criminal case in court.

Mr Chumo was last week charged in court over abuse of office, conspiracy to commit economic crimes and failure to comply with procurement laws in the purchase of faulty transformers worth Sh450 million during his tenure as KP boss.

On June 27, President Uhuru Kenyatta nominated Ben Chumo for the job and on Sunday, National Assembly Clerk Mr Michael Sialai confirmed that the House Committee on Finance and National Planning will vet the former CEO despite his pending criminal case.

INTEGRITY ISSUES

“So far we haven’t received any communication from the nominee not wishing to be vetted. This means that the exercise will go on from 10 am on Monday as planned. The committee will recommend to the House on the suitability of the nominee based on the evidence it will gather over his integrity issues and his ability to deliver,” Mr Sialai said noting that the plenary of the House will then have the final say on the nominee.

READ: Ben Chumo picked as SRC chair

The committee chaired by Kipkelion East MP Joseph Limo had scheduled the vetting for on Monday after advertising for public memoranda on the suitability of Mr Chumo.

Kisumu East MP Shakeel Shabbir, a member of the Finance and National Planning committee has already pronounced his misgivings about Mr Chumo’s vetting.

“I refuse to be part of this ill thought out exercise. It will only harden those who support corruption,” Mr Shabbir said and urged his colleagues to boycott the exercise.

CASE IN COURT

Mr Chumo will not be the first one to be vetted by MPs despite facing an active case in court.

In November 2013, the House approved the name of former Naivasha MP, Mr John Mututho to chair the National Agency for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (NACADA) despite having an active criminal case in court.

Mr Mututho had been accused of falsely presenting documents that Countryside Supplies limited, a company associated with him, had paid tax on bedside lockers and therefore deserves a refund of Sh41.3 million from Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

But the House committee National Security Administration then chaired by former Tiaty MP Asman Kamama vetted him.

But despite the Kamama committee recommending that he was unfit to hold public office, MPs ganged up in numbers and amended the committee’s report and recommend to the president that he be given the job, a decision the president upheld.

“The committee is of the view that Mututho is best suited for the job, save for the criminal charges he faces in court. However, the committee recommends that the National Assembly rejects his nomination,” the committee’s report read.

FRAUD CHARGES

On July 25, 2014, the court would clear him of the fraud charges. The precedence in Mr Mututho’s case is therefore likely to guide the committee.

 Mr Chumo was to be vetted on the second week of his appointment but because the House was proceeding on a short recess, a procedural motion was passed to postpone the exercise.

On the same day President Kenyatta nominated Mr Chumo, he also nominated members to the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) and forwarded the lists to the House for approval.

The CAJ list, which includes former Meru Woman representative Florence Kajuju (chairperson) and members Mr Washington Opiyo and Ms Lucy Ndung’u was last week vetted by the Justice and Legal Affairs committee last week.

The committee chaired by Baringo North MP William Cheptumo is expected to present its report to House this week and recommend the nominees be approved or rejected.