Past likely to haunt Uhuru’s Cabinet nominees

The Parliamentary Committee on Appointments will start vetting Cabinet nominees on Thursday and Friday next week.

Various parliamentary teams will also be vetting principal secretaries as the Committee on Foreign Relations vets ambassadorial appointees.

All nominees have been preparing themselves to face parliamentarians, but with Jubilee having a majority of members no upsets are expected.

However, for some nominees, the past may come back to haunt them as MPs would want to assert their authority in the vetting process.

NASA SNUB

Senate Deputy Speaker Kithure Kindiki said he did not expect any nominees to fail.

“The President has done his homework well and we expect that all nominees will pass.

"If Nasa does not want to turn up, that’s unfortunate, although the committees have the required quorum. One wonders what they are doing in Parliament,” he said.

Suna East MP Junet Mohamed said Nasa is still dealing with issues surrounding last year’s General Election.

“We are not going to engage in anything post August 8. Unless and until we finish the issues relating to last year’s elections, there is no process, product or by-product of that day we will engage in,” Mr Mohamed said.

MONICA JUMA
He added that it is wrong for Parliament not to vet Cabinet secretaries who were retained since it’s a new executive term.

The Cabinet nominee for Foreign Affairs Monica Juma will be facing MPs in a vetting session for the third time.

In 2013, she easily passed vetting by the Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations after she was appointed to be the PS for Defence.

In 2014, she swapped places with Mr Mutea Iringo and she was moved to the Interior ministry.

It was in 2015 when she was named the Secretary to the Cabinet appointee that MPs openly rejected her.

The lawmakers adopted a report of the Committee on Administration and National Security that vetted the former Defence PS.

FAVOURS
In the report, the committee had recommended her rejection, accusing her of “arrogance and insensitivity”, and that she was unable to spell out her achievements at the Defence and Interior ministries.

However, their verdict was seen to have been largely based on the letter Dr Juma wrote to clerks of the National Assembly and the Senate, asking them to stop MPs from trooping to her office, seeking appointments and transfers for their people.

A proposal by National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale to extend the duration for considering Dr Juma by 14 days was rejected in a vote.

A total of 152 lawmakers voted against the proposal as 50 backed it, sealing Dr Juma’s fate.

KIHALANGWA
Almost similar to Dr Juma’s case was Maj-Gen (Rtd) Gordon Kihalangwa who was then director of Immigrations, but was nominated to replace her at the Interior ministry.

Despite the President having announced his name, it was quietly withdrawn and eventually Dr Karanja Kibicho was made Interior PS.

Mr Kihalangwa has been nominated to be Immigration PS.

Mr Keriako Tobiko’s vetting will also be closely watched.

The jury is still out on how he performed as the first Director of Public Prosecutions. Mr Tobiko is the nominee for the Environment ministry.

NELSON MARWA
MPs are likely to demand answers on why the fight against corruption has made little progress.

But former Coast regional Coordinator Nelson Marwa is likely to be also closely watched.

Mr Marwa is President Uhuru Kenyatta’s nominee for the position of Devolution PS.

In his trademark provincial administration uniform Mr Marwa was the embodiment of national government at the Coast and his appearance at the committee in a suit will be a break from a past that has been characterised by confrontational pronouncements.

The rest of the nominees who will appear before the committee are Prof Margaret Kobia (Public Service), Mr John Munyes (Mining).

Others are Mr Rashid Achesa (Sports), Ms Farida Karoney (Lands), Ms Sicily Kariuki (Health), Mr Ukur Yatani (Labour) and Mr Peter Munya (EAC).
The nominees for PS positions include Ms Safina Kwekwe (Public Service), Mr Macharia Kamau (Foreign Affairs), Dr Julius Muia (National Treasury), Mr Hamadi Boga (Agriculture) and Mr Peter Tum (Health).

Those nominated for ambassadorial positions include seven former CSs dropped from the lineup.

They include Prof Judy Wakhungu (France), Dr Cleopa Mailu (UN, Geneva), Mr Dan Kazungu (Tanzania), Ms Phyllis Kandie (Belgium and European Union), Mr Willy Bett (India), Prof Jacob Kaimenyi (Unesco, Paris) and Mr Hassan Wario (Austria).