High scores on technical proficiency, leadership and administrative experience by Samuel Njoroge put him ahead of three other candidates for the powerful position of Clerk of the National Assembly, the Nation has learnt.
The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) in its report on the appointment of the Clerk, settled on Mr Njoroge in a move that divided the House, pushing his approval to division, where members had to physically cast their vote after the global question of the House came too close to call, occasioning those opposed to the report to call for a division.
In the voting, MPs supporting Mr Njoroge were 162 while those opposing him were 94. All members present voted.
Mr Njoroge, 42, will now replace Mr Michael Sialai, who upon expiry of his term in July this year, was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta as Kenya’s High Commissioner to Namibia.
Others that have served in the same position are Leonard Ngugi, Japheth Masya, Samuel Ndindiri, Patrick Gichochi, Justin Bundi and Michael Sialai.
Those who were interviewed for the position on Friday were Mr Njoroge, Ms Serah Kioko -- who was the Deputy Clerk, and acting Clerk since Mr Sialai’s retirement -- Senate Deputy Clerk Mohamed Ali Mohamed, and Ms Eunice Gichangi.
According to the report tabled by the PSC, Mr Njoroge scored 87.14 per cent followed by Mr Mohamed with 76.7 per cent, Ms Wanjiku got 76.4 per cent with Ms Kioko coming last with 75.8 per cent.
In arriving at the final decision, the commission, in the oral interviews focused on academic qualifications (5 marks), technical proficiency (10 marks), leadership and administrative experience (15 marks), general knowledge and current affairs (5 marks), and presentation skills and demeanour (5 marks) which all accounted for 40 marks.
Mr Njoroge, who was before then the director of Legislative and Procedural Services, is said to have scored highly on technical proficiency and leadership and proficiency.
Other sources also told the Nation that although the deputy clerks from the Senate were highly competent, qualified and exhibited a deeper understanding of parliamentary affairs and the role of the clerk, the commission was not comfortable with a clerk coming from the Senate, when the National Assembly had its own representatives angling for the top job.
They argued that since MPs had already raised an issue with a senate deputy clerk taking over before, settling on a candidate from the Senate would have poisoned the debate in the floor of the House and would have demoralised other senior staff in the National Assembly.
The Nation also learnt that the commission was also avoiding another interview for the position since Ms Kioko is retiring in three years, and having another recruitment close to the election was not a good idea.
The commission, however, admitted that Ms Kioko had so far performed well in the acting capacity as the Clerk since July and appreciated her parliamentary experience spanning over two decades.
However, questions were raised on whether Mr Njoroge, who is at the level of a director, should climb to the position of the clerk, bypassing those that have served as deputy clerks.
This argument was, however, thrown out by the commission, which argued that he met the requirements and performed well in the interviews and that it was not a must for one to serve as a deputy clerk to be a clerk.
Eldas MP Adan Keynan, who is also a member of the PSC, had a difficult time moving the report as majority of MPs shouted him down.
Mr Keynan said all the four candidates interviewed exhibited high level of competency and were highly qualified, but Mr Njoroge emerged the best. He urged MPs to offer him the support needed to undertake his duties.
“Based on the foregoing, PSC decided to have Mr Njoroge as clerk for a contractual term of five years, if he performs well, he is eligible for another term of five years. If he does not perform, then you members will have an opportunity to appoint a new clerk,” Mr Keynan said.
“If you look at the structure of the PSC, and the structure of Parliament as a bicameral House, the Senate has its own clerk. The Clerk of the senate has two deputies, same with the clerk of the National Assembly and therefore the person who was acting reverts back to the position of the deputy clerk and therefore, that person has not been sacked,” Mr Keynan said.
“There is no need for making noise. The majority will have their way and the minority will have their say. It is you who have the power on this matter,” Mr Wetang’ula said.
Ainabkoi MP Samuel Chepkonga, while supporting the appointment of Mr Njoroge, said the commission carried out the interview above board and members should accept the outcome.
“We can disagree with the commission but we must agree with the product of the commission, you conducted an interview and graded people, '' Mr Chepkonga said.
According to Article 128 of the Constitution, the successful candidate must be approved by the House.
“There shall be a Clerk for each House of Parliament, appointed by the Parliamentary Service Commission with the approval of the relevant House,” reads Article 128.
The commission in July this year appointed Ms Kioko as the acting clerk pending the conclusion of the process.
The commission narrowed down to the four candidates who are all senior and experienced parliamentary officers.
Ms Kioko joined parliament in 1994, and is among the longest serving officers. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute.
Mr Mohamed, the Deputy Clerk, Senate, is also among long serving officers in Parliament who are well grounded in parliamentary procedures and practices. He boasts of 19 years of experience in parliamentary affairs.
Mr Njoroge joined Parliament in 2008 and holds Masters of Business Administration from the University of Nairobi.
Ms Gichangi, who is currently serving as Deputy Clerk in the Senate, has a long legal practice and understands parliamentary procedures. She joined parliament in 2008 and has a Master of Laws from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
The Clerk of the National Assembly is tasked with the day-to-day management and functioning of the House, as well as the overall management of the staff of the National Assembly.
The holder of the office is also tasked with advising and implementing PSC’s decisions on appointment, promotion and discipline of staff; and assignment of duties as well as supervision of staff.
The Clerk is also in charge of preparing and submitting the programmes necessary to achieve the mandate of the National Assembly for the PSC to approve.
The holder of the office is also tasked with rendering expert, non-partisan and impartial advice to the members of the National Assembly on the legislative process, and parliamentary procedure and practice.
The long process of getting a substantive clerk started in April this year but previous interviews have been postponed for various reasons.
Mr Sialai was appointed in January 2017, replacing the late Justin Bundi.
During his tenure, Mr Sialai is credited with streamlining audit and accounting functions, a move that saw the National Assembly getting unqualified audit reports for three consecutive financial years -- 2018/2019,2019/2020 and 2020/2021.
He is also credited with the promotion of use of Kiswahili as one of the languages in Parliament and he is among those that pioneered the translation of the National Assembly Standing Orders into Kiswahili in 2021.
