Speaker Wetang’ula sets timeline for vetting of Ruto nominees
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula.
What you need to know:
- The Speaker said that notwithstanding the suspension of committee activities, the three committees have been permitted to hold sittings during the recess period for purposes of considering the nominees.
President William Ruto's new picks for Cabinet will wait until January 15, 2025 to learn their fate.
The development comes after National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula recalled three committees to begin vetting Cabinet nominees, and those named for ambassador posts and positions in independent commissions.
Speaker Wetang'ula on Saturday instructed members of the Committee on Appointments, departmental committees on Labour and Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations to resume and begin the hearings.
This follows the receipt of a message from the President notifying the Speaker of the nomination of persons for appointment as cabinet secretaries, high commissioners, ambassador, permanent representative and consul-general, and vice chairperson and members of the Public Service Commission (PSC).
Mr Wetang'ula referred the names to the respective committees for vetting.
Standing Order 42(2) of the National Assembly requires that, whenever a message is received from the President at a time when the House is not in Session, the Speaker shall pass the message to every member and shall report the message to the House when it next sits.
The three nominees to the positions of Cabinet Secretary will face the Committee on Appointments chaired by the speaker.
The Cabinet nominees are Mr Mutahi Kagwe (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development), Mr Lee Kinyanjui (Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry) and Mr William Kabogo (Ministry of Information, Communications and The Digital Economy).
Nominees to the positions of High Commissioners, ambassadors, Consul-general to the permanent representative will appear before the departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations.
They include Ms Margaret Nyambura Ndung'u (High Commissioner, Accra, Ghana), Dr Andrew Karanja (Ambassador, Brasilia, Brazil), Mr Ababu Namwamba (permanent representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) while Mr Noor Gabow has been fronted as Consul-General, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
On the other hand, nominees to the positions of vice-chairperson and members of the PSC will be vetted by the departmental Committee on Labour.
Ms Mary Wanjira Kimonye has been nominated as the vice-chairperson of the PSC while Mr Harun Maalim Hassan, Ms Mwanamaka Amani Mabruki, Mr Francis Meja, Dr Irene Cherotich Asienga, Mr Boya Molu, Ms Joan Andisi Machayo, and Dr Francis Otieno Owino as PSC members.
"The Committees are required to commence the necessary vetting processes as contemplated under the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act and upon conclusion of the approval hearings, submit respective reports by close of business on January 15, 2025," said Speaker Wetang'ula.
"The Clerk is hereby directed to transmit this notification to all members of the National Assembly and facilitate the respective committees to expeditiously undertake the necessary approval hearings," he added.
The House went on recess earlier this month and is scheduled to resume in February.
However, the Speaker said that notwithstanding the suspension of committee activities, the three committees have been permitted to hold sittings during the recess period for purposes of considering the nominees.
"At an appropriate time, I will notify all honourable members of the date and time of convening of special sittings of the House for purposes of considering the reports of the respective committees on the vetting exercise," he said.
