Ambassadors' vetting: Koskei, Mudavadi on the spot as another nominee rejects Ruto job
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Musalia Mudavadi addresses the media at Harambe House, Nairobi on December 19, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Ms Nyambura, who was expected to appear before the committee chaired by Belgut MP Nelson Koech for vetting.
- The former Cabinet Secretary cited personal and pressing family matters as reason for not accepting the nomination.
A parliamentary committee has put the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei on the spot for failing to conduct due diligence before forwarding names of persons to be nominated for ambassadorial positions to the President.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi doubles up as the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary.
The National Assembly’s Committee on Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs took issue with the nomination of former ICT Cabinet Secretary Margaret Nyambura, who declined President William Ruto's nomination as the new High Commissioner to Accra, Ghana.
Ms Nyambura, who was expected to appear before the committee chaired by Belgut MP Nelson Koech for vetting, wrote a letter declining the appointment.
Ms Nyambura cited personal and pressing family matters as the reason for not accepting the nomination.
“The destination Ghana appears to be jinxed. This is the second nominee to decline the posting to Ghana as Kenya’s High Commissioner,” Mr Koech said.
“Ms Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u has written a letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly declining appearance for vetting. She has cited personal and compelling family matters she says will not allow her to take up the posting to Ghana.”
Mr Koech said Ms Nyambura further said that to save the committee's precious time, she would not appear before the committee for vetting.
“Consequently, it means that she has declined the nomination to serve as Kenya’s High Commissioner to Ghana,” Mr Koech said.
Ms Nyambura is the second nominee to decline the posting as High Commissioner to Ghana after former West Mugirango MP Vincent Kemosi declined the nomination by Dr Ruto.
Mr Kemosi declined the post citing personal and compelling family matters.
In April last year, Mr Kemosi wrote a letter to the Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee declining the invitation for vetting.
“It is imperative that we put on notice the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Head of Public Service to do due diligence before picking names of people who have not been consulted for nomination as Ambassadors or High Commissioners,” Mr Koech said while communicating the letter to members of the committee.
“It is an embarrassment not only to this committee but to the President and the country for a nominee to decline appointment as an ambassador or high commissioner.”
Mr Koech said it was extremely embarrassing for the second high commissioner nominee to decline the Ghana posting.
“There are many Kenyans who deserve such positions and conducting due diligence will eliminate this kind of embarrassment,” the Belgut MP said.
Ms Nyambura was among four other ambassadorial nominees to be vetted by the committee on January 10.
The committee vetted former CS for Sports Ababu Namwamba who has been nominated for appointment as ambassador to the United Nations Environment Programme and United Nations Office in Nairobi.
The committee also vetted former Agriculture CS, Dr Andrew Karanja, for appointment as Kenya’s Ambassador to Brasilia, Brazil.
Former Deputy Inspector General of Administration Police Noor Gabow was vetted for appointment as Kenya’s Consular-General to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Mr Gabow, who has been instrumental in the deployment of a Kenya-led United Nations-backed security mission to Haiti, said Kenya’s security personnel had managed to stabilise part of Haiti.
Mr Gabow was the first Kenyan to visit Haiti for reconnaissance before 400 police officers were deployed to fight gangs in the Caribbean nation.
The mission is being led by Kenya, which deployed nearly 400 police in the middle of last year, far short of the 1,000 it had promised.
Mr Gabow dismissed reports that Kenyan police officers had resigned from the mission in Haiti saying the country is preparing to send an additional 600 soldiers to back the 400 already deployed to Port-au-Prince.
“No police officer has resigned from the mission in Haiti. We are preparing to send another 600 officers to back the 400 who have already done a very good job in security at the airport, the port, and the main hospital,” Mr Gabow said.
“Our officers in Haiti have been paid their salaries contrary to reports that some have resigned for lack of payments.”
He told the vetting panel that a fund to be domiciled at the Central Bank of Kenya will be created to ensure direct payment of officers serving in Haiti.
