National Assembly Speaker Wetangula direct vetting of Ruto cabinet nominees by February 2025
The process to onboard recently nominated allies of retired president Uhuru Kenyatta by president William Ruto to cabinet has been set in motion after the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula directed Members of Parliament (MPs) to finalise the vetting of cnominees, Public Service Commission (PSC) appointees, and ambassadorial candidates by February 15, 2025.
The directive follows yesterday’s official communication from the president.
Wetangula also and assigned the vetting responsibilities to various parliamentary committees.
“The names of the nominees to the various state offices are hereby referred to the respective committees.” The Speaker said.
The new cabinet nominees include William Kabogo (Information, Communication, and Technology), Lee Kinyanjui (Investments, Trade and Industry) and Mutahi Kagwe for Agriculture and Livestock Development.
In his communication, Speaker Wetang’ula said nominees for Cabinet Secretary positions will be reviewed by the Committee on Appointments, while those for the positions of High Commissioners, Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives, and Consul-Generals will be scrutinised by the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations.
Meanwhile, nominees for the Vice-Chairperson and Members of the Public Service Commission will be vetted by the Departmental Committee on Labour.
The Speaker stated that the vetting process must align with the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, which requires parliamentary committees to complete approval hearings before submitting reports.
These reports are due by the close of business on January 15, 2025.
President Ruto also nominated eight new members to fill upcoming vacancies at the Public Service Commission (PSC).
They include Mary Wanjira Kimonye, who has been put forward for the position of Vice-Chairperson. The list of candidates for membership positions comprises Harun Maalim Hassan, Mwanamaka Amani Mabruki and Boya Molu who is an Ex- IEBC Commissioner.
Other nominated are Irene Cherotich Asienga, Francis Otieno Owino, Joan Andisi Machayo, and Francis Meja (Former NTSA boss).
Ruto further nominated ICT Cabinet Secretary Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u as the High Commissioner in Accra, Ghana.
Former Agriculture CS Andrew Karanja will serve as the Ambassador in Brasilia, Brazil if approved.
Former ICT CS Ababu Namwamba has been nominated as the Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) while Noor Gabow, CBS will be the Consul-General in Port-au-Prince, Haiti if approved by the MPs.
Despite the ongoing parliamentary recess, Wetang’ula has authorised the committees to continue with their work during the break.
“Notwithstanding the suspension of Committee activities, the three Committees are hereby permitted to hold sittings during the recess period for purposes of considering the nominees,” he stated.
The Speaker also outlined plans for special sittings of the National Assembly to consider the reports from the vetting committees.
He noted that Members would be notified in advance of the dates and times for these special sittings.
To ensure smooth coordination, Wetang’ula directed the Clerk of the National Assembly Samuel Njoroge to facilitate the vetting process and ensure that the committees undertake their work expeditiously.
“This process is crucial for ensuring that the President’s nominees are properly vetted and that the relevant appointments are made in accordance with constitutional requirements,” Wetang’ula directed.
