Cabinet hopefuls Kindiki, Ndungu, Chirchir, Jumwa and Moses Kuria face MPs today
From left: CS nominees Njuguna Ndung'u (Treasury), Moses Kuria (Trade), Kithure Kindiki (Interior), Davis Chirchir (Energy) and Aisha Jumwa (Public Service).
Kindiki’s star is set to continue rising
Prof Kithure Kindiki.
For Prof Kithure Kindiki, the Interior and Coordination of National Government Cabinet Secretary nominee, life has been on an upward trajectory, but not without a few challenges.
In the world of academia and politics, the star of Prof Kindiki has been rising, painting a picture of either a very lucky or very smart person.
Prof Kindiki was born on July 17, 1972 and brought up in Irundini village in Tharaka constituency, Tharaka Nithi County.
He holds a master’s degree in international human rights law and democracy and a PhD in international law, both from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Before joining politics in 2013, Prof Kindiki was a lecturer at Moi University and at the University of Nairobi.
He later worked as Secretary of National Cohesion in the Ministry of Justice soon after the 2008 post-election violence and was instrumental in the drafting of the National Cohesion and Integration Act.
However, he resigned after only three months, accusing the government of lacking the political goodwill to resettle hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons.
Prof Kindiki was elected Senator for Tharaka Nithi County in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017.
In his first term, he served as the Leader of the Majority and was elected Senate Deputy Speaker in his second term, a position he held until 2020, when he was de-whipped.
The don did not run for an elective seat this year after President William Ruto prevailed upon him to shelve his gubernatorial ambitions and join him in national campaigns.
The don narrowly missed being Dr Ruto’s running mate, a position that went to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who was then Mathira MP.
He seemed to take the loss hard, calling a press conference to announce that he would be taking a break from politics and wouldn’t accept a state job.
However, he joined Dr Ruto’s presidential campaign and served as his chief agent.
Cost of living conundrum for Njuguna Ndung’u
Treasury CS nominee Njuguna Ndung’u.
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary nominee Prof Njuguna Ndung’u faces tough questions on his past and his plans for the economy when he appears before the National Assembly for vetting today.
The country’s public debt was Sh8.6 trillion by July. Kenya is already feeling the heat as it implements tough conditions set by the International Monetary Fund. Asked whether he was worried about Kenya’s debt position about a year ago, Prof Ndung’u had said: “No, because we borrowed for specific targeted projects that had a targeted contribution in the development discourse. We still have to go back and ask, did it work? If there are management or governance issues, they can be fixed and those projects will work. Then we can create fiscal space for the repayment.”
Another key issue the professor will address is the policies he plans to employ to support businesses. He is expected to strike the delicate balance between expanding the tax base while at the same time easing the regulatory burden in the form of bureaucracy and excessive taxes that have scared investors away. This is in the context of a proposed tax policy by the National Treasury.
Prof Ndung’u has previously spoken openly about the need to have an appropriate tax policy in the country.
“If we have to succeed, we have to create incentives for domestic resource mobilisation and look at different aspects of that,” he has been quoted as saying.
MPs are also expected to put Prof Ndung’u to task over his plans to restore the stability of the Kenyan shilling, which has deteriorated at a fast rate in recent years, to see it exchange at 121 units to the dollar by yesterday.
However, the most important discussion will be the policies to protect consumers from high commodity prices, especially with inflation rates soaring to 9.2 per cent by September and households suffering because of the high prices of essential commodities such as food and fuel.
2015 corruption ghosts back to haunt Davis Chirchir
Davis Chirchir.
Davis Chirchir is a step away from making a comeback to the Cabinet, which he left in March 2015 under a cloud of corruption allegations.
President William Ruto’s nominee for the Energy and Petroleum docket will be in a precarious situation as he appears before the Committee on Appointments today since he will be put to task on what he achieved in the same docket seven years ago.
Having featured in the so-called “List of Shame” prepared by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and presented to Parliament by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, Mr Chirchir is one of those who are on the radar of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party lawmakers.
Mr Chirchir’s issues with the EACC date back to his time at the defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC)—the precursor of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission—before he was appointed to the Cabinet in 2013.
He was among those named in a kickbacks scandal involving the award of a lucrative ballot paper printing contract to British company Smith and Ouzman. The scandal came to be known as “Chickengate”.
He was also linked to a case involving former Kenya Power Managing Director Ben Chumo. However, the EACC later cleared him.
Dogged by cases, Aisha Jumwa battles one more hurdle
Former Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa.
Former Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa, who describes herself as Shangazi wa Taifa and also as Mekatilili wa Menza of the 21st century, is probably among the few self-made women politicians from the coast.
Between the time she won the Takaungu ward seat as councillor in 1997, when she first plunged into politics, to her election as Malindi Member of Parliament, Ms Jumwa’s political journey can be likened to a roller-coaster ride.
And now a post in Cabinet beckons, but she must clear a hurdle in the way of a pending criminal case. Ms Jumwa is facing a murder case at the Mombasa High Court.
She has been charged, together with her aide, Geoffrey Otieno Okuto, with the murder of Orange Democratic Movement supporter Jola Ngumbao.
Mr Ngumbao died at a Malindi hospital in 2019 allegedly after being shot in the shoulder during campaigns for the Ganda ward by-election. The two allegedly committed the offence on October 15, 2019.
In 2020, she was accused alongside six others of conspiring to commit fraud through payment of Sh19 million to Multiserve Contractors in respect to tender number MLD/NG-CDF/01/2017/2018 of Malindi NG-CDF.
However, last week, the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew the charges against her.
Moses Kuria to face questions on his ‘acerbic tongue’
Trade Cabinet nominee Moses Kuria.
Many people associate former MP Moses Kuria with controversy. The Cabinet nominee for Trade, Investment and Industry has, in the past, been referred to as a warmonger and has several times seen the inside of courtrooms.
Last year, he was charged with assault but was later set free after the case was dropped.
As he appears today for vetting before the Committee on Appointments, Mr Kuria is likely to be questioned on his “loose tongue”.
Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi no doubt had Mr Kuria in mind when, commenting on the Cabinet appointees, said some of the nominees have questionable backgrounds.
“We are seeing a line-up of people known for ethnic profiling. We are seeing warlords, hate-mongers, men and women battling mega corruption cases, and those who are known for opposition to positive change,” he said.
With his ministry placed at the heart of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s economic revival plan, Mr Kuria is also likely to be asked to provide details on how he plans to achieve the agenda.
Mr Kuria has had a close working relationship with small and medium enterprises through the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance.
Reports by Alex Njeru, Onyango K’onyango, Philip Muyanga and Peter Mburu
