Kericho Governor Erick Mutai has kick-started the process of appointing a county secretary after ward reps declined to vet a candidate he had nominated.
Dr Wesley Bor, a university lecturer, was nominated for the position of county secretary and head of public service and his name forwarded to the assembly for vetting along with 10 County Executive Committee (CEC) nominees on September 29.
Members of the county assembly (MCAs) did not subject Dr Bor to vetting, arguing that the nomination did not follow the proper procedure. But the move does not invalidate Dr Bor’s candidacy for the position.
Following the rejection, Dr Mutai wants to cure the anomaly and comply with the law on appointments. He has formed a selection panel to interview candidates for the influential position.
In line with the County Government Act No.17 of 2012, subsection 44 and the Public Appointments (Assemblies Approval Act Section 5-8), Dr Mutai has now forwarded five nominees for the selection panel to the assembly for vetting.
This followed an advisory from the assembly on how the office holder should be picked. The nominees are Mr Rueben Yegon, Ms Doris Ngeno, Kipngeno Cheruiyot, Ms Eunice Kirui and Mr Wesley Siele.
The nominees will be vetted by the assembly’s Committee on Appointments on November 25, according to assembly clerk Epus Patrick.
Upon approval, the panel will be sworn into office before proceeding to interview candidates, with the current office holder, Mr Joel Bett, having served his full term and is not eligible for reappointment.
“Any member of the public with information contesting the approval of the Selection Panel should submit in writing before 4pm on Thursday 25 November 2022 to the undersigned. The information must be through [a] sworn affidavit or oath” Mr Epus stated in a newspaper advert.
Two CEC nominees – Mr Lawrence Kipkoech Bii (Education, Culture, Libraries and Social Services) and Mr Bernard Bii (Trade Industrialisation, Innovation and Tourism) – were rejected by MCAs over claims of inexperience.
Dr Mutai forwarded the names of 10 CEC nominees to the assembly for vetting on September 29, in what he said was “a delicate balancing act between the youth and the elderly”.
The nominees who survived the vetting are Mr Leonard Kipkoech Ngetich (Finance and Economic Planning), Mr Daniel Kipkorir Rop (Agricultural, Livestock and Cooperatives Management), Ms Rosemary Chepkirui Rop (Water Environment, Energy, Forestry and Natural Resources), Ms Ednah Chepkirui Tonui (Health), Ms Lawrence Kipkoech Bii (Education, Culture, Libraries and Social Services), Ms Judy Chepkorir (Information, Communication and Technology, e-Government, Youth Affairs and Sports).
The others are Mr Brian Cheruiyot Langat (Lands, Housing and Physical Planning), Mr Erick Kipngetich Koech (Public Works, Roads and Transport) and Ms Brenda Bii (Public Service Management).
There was an uproar when MCAs declined to vet Dr Bor and rejected two CEC nominees, opening a spat between the legislature and the executive.
“When we declined to vet the nominee for the CS position and demanded the law be followed, some people thought we were fighting the governor,” said Majority Leader Paul Chirchir.
“Now the executive has followed the right procedure and we shall be vetting the nominees to the selection panel on Friday.”
Mr Chirchir, the Kapsoit ward MCA, said the law demands that the governor pick a five-member selection panel to interview nominees for county secretary. The names of successful candidates are then forwarded to the governor, who will nominate a candidate for the assembly to vet.
Regarding chief officers, candidates are interviewed by the County Public Service Board, which forwards the names of successful ones to the governor, who then sends the names of his preferred candidates to the assembly for vetting.
“Our position as the assembly is that we want this administration to get things right – simply follow the law and start on a clean slate. We do not want the law to be breached, as witnessed in the administration of former governor Paul Chepkwony,” Mr Chirchir said.
Dr Mutai is crafting a team of professionals to help him deliver on his mandate after taking over from Prof Chepkwony in the August 9 elections. Prof Chepkwony served two successive terms and was not eligible for re-election.
“I have compiled a list of professionals that are passionate, hardworking, humble in means but with rich ideas to help in the discharge of my mandate and deliver on our manifesto,” Dr Mutai said in his first address to the third county assembly.
MCAs are also expected to vet nominees for chief officers, whose names have been forwarded to the House.
MCAs came under the spotlight last week after spending over Sh3 million for a training workshop at a high-end hotel in Nakuru in allowances for them, county officers and drivers, fuel and vehicle maintenance, payments to the hotel for hall space, food, beverages and others.
The assembly also paid an undisclosed amount of money to facilitators during the four-day training on how to vet chief officers, which they are expected to conduct in the first week of December.
Following a public outcry, the venue for the training was moved from Nairobi’s Weston hotel, owned by President William Ruto, to Nakuru.
MCAs were seen to be defying austerity measures put in place by the President in a bid to chop off Sh300 billion from the Sh3.3 trillion 2022/2023 national budgetary estimates.
The 12 chief officer nominees forwarded to the assembly include Ms Rosemary Chelangat (Finance), Mr David Kurgat Kiplangat (Economic Planning), Mr Willy Rop Kiprono (Agriculture), Mr Michael Bett Kiprotich (Livestock and Cooperatives Management, Mr Wesley Koech (Water, Environment, Energy, Forestry, and Natural Resources), Mr Japeth Cheruiyot (Health Services) and Mr Richard Tonui Kibet (Education, Culture, Libraries and Social Services).
The Others are Mr Geoffrey Kipngeno Bett (Information, Communication and Technology, E-Government, Youth Affairs, Gender and Sports), Mr Alphonse Rotich Kipkirui (Land, Housing and Physical Planning), Mr Anderson Terer Cheruiyot (Public Works, Road and Transport), Ms Betsy Chebet (Public Service Management) and Mr Gilbert Kipkirui Bii (Trade, Trade, Industrialization, Innovation, Tourism and Wildlife).
