All eyes will be on the four Cabinet Secretary (CS) nominees allied to opposition leader Raila Odinga, as Members of Parliament kick off the vetting exercise next week.
The exercise, set for next Thursday, will see four CS nominees face the Committee on Appointments, chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetang’ula.
First to face the panel will be Prof Kithure Kindiki, the CS nominee for Interior and National Administration, second on the hot seat will be Dr Debra Mlongo Barasa (Health), Alice Wahome (Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development) and finally Defence CS nominee Soipan Tuya.
Section 6, 7, and 8 of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, 2011 provides that “an approval hearing shall focus on a candidate’s academic credentials, professional training and experience, personal integrity and background.
Further, the act provides that the issues for consideration by the relevant House of Parliament about any nomination shall be the procedure used to arrive at the nominee, any constitutional or statutory requirements relating to the office in question, and whether the nominee’s abilities, experience and qualities meet the needs of the body to which the nomination is being made.
The focus will however be on Mr Odinga’s nominees, who the public will be keen to see how they articulate government policies they were castigating a few days ago.
President Ruto on Wednesday nominated four of Mr Odinga's allies in his broad-based government and forwarded the list to parliament for approval.
Those nominated include Hassan Joho (Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs), John Mbadi (National Treasury), Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives and MSMEs), and Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum).
More focus will be on Finance CS nominee John Mbadi, who if approved, will assume office when the government coffers are empty.
Mr Mbadi, an accomplished accountant with a love of figures, faces a tough balancing job as he will have to navigate this Financial Year without a Finance Bill that was rejected by Ruto after sustained protests by Gen Zs.
If approved, he will be tasked with leading the government on how to live without the advantage of raising taxes following the shelving of the Finance Bill.
Mr Mbadi, who until last week was putting government officials to task over the expenditure of taxpayers’ money in his capacity as PAC chair, will now face the same questions from his former colleagues.
Keen on details and figures, Mr Mbadi will also have to operate with the Supplementary Budget 1 currently before the House, which he had already criticised, while still on the minority side.
Mr Wandayi will find himself in unfamiliar territory as he will be taken to task for explaining government deals, including the government-to-government oil deal.
The vetting comes at a time when MPs are facing hostile Gen Zs, who have vowed to recall all those who voted for the Finance Bill, accusing them of failing to represent the interests of the people.
In the wake of the ongoing anti-government protests and the storming of parliament, the emboldened appointment committee chaired by Mr Wetang’ula will aim to make amends after being accused of rubber stamping the executive.
The lawmakers will not want to be seen as the weakest link in approving persons with integrity questions, or incapable of delivering for fear of facing the wrath of protesters again.
Section 6 (9) of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, 2021 provides that “any person may before the approval hearings and by written statement on oath, provide the clerk with evidence contesting the suitability of a candidate to hold the office to which the candidate has been nominated."
Article 118 of the Constitution provides that Parliament shall facilitate public participation and involvement in the legislative business and other business of Parliament and its committees.
Section 6 (4) of the Act further provides that the Clerk shall notify the public of the time and place of holding an approval hearing at least seven days before the hearings.
Those re-appointed in the new cabinet are set for tough questions over their tenure in the dissolved cabinet.
Those that have made a comeback will face the vetting team again. They include Kithure Kindiki (Interior and National Administration), Adan Duale (Environment and Forestry), Alice Wahome (Lands, Public Works and Housing), Davis Chirchir (Roads and Transport), Soipan Tuya (Defence) and Rebecca Miano (Tourism and Wildlife), Salim Mvurya (Trade and Industry), Justin Muturi (public service) and Alfred Mutua (Labour and social protection)
Among the questions that await them is what they will do differently in their new positions, and provide evidence of what they have achieved in the last 19 months they were in office.
The wealth of those re-appointed will also be under microscopic scrutiny as details of any increase in their net worth will have to be explained in detail.
