Three principal secretaries who served in the administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta are set to take up new posts at the Public Service Commission after Parliament cleared them for appointment.
The National Assembly has approved the nomination of Mary Wanjira Kimonye, who served as principal secretary for the State Department for Public Service, for appointment as the PSC vice chairperson.
Also cleared for appointment as members of PSC are Mwanamaka Amani Mabruki and Dr Francis Otieno Owino who served under Mr Kenyatta as PS for Devolution and Youth Affairs, respectively.
Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioner Boya Molu, who served during the chairmanship of Wafula Chebukati, has been approved for appointment as a commissioner.
Mr Molu served for two terms as IEBC commissioner during Mr Kenyatta’s first and second terms in office.
Harun Maalim Hassan, who currently serves as the CEO of the National Council for People with Disabilities (NCPWD), and Dr Irene Cherotich Asienga, who was a commissioner at the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) during the Kenyatta administration, have also been cleared for appointment.
The House also approved the appointment of former National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Director-General Francis Meja and Joan Andisi Machayo, who sat on the board of the National Employment Authority as an alternate director to the PSC CEO under President Kenyatta.
The approval followed the recommendation of the National Assembly’s Committee on Labour which vetted the nominees and found them suitable for appointment.
“The committee observed that all nominees met the integrity threshold, demonstrated knowledge of topical, administrative, and technical issues touching on the positions to which they had been nominated, and had requisite abilities academic qualifications and professional experience to be approved for appointment as Vice Chairperson and Members of the Public Service Commission,” Karemba Muchangi, who chairs the Labour Committee said in a report to the House.
“The committee recommends that the House approves the appointment of Mary Wanjira Kimonye as vice-chairperson of the Public Service Commission...”
The committee said all nominees were cleared by various agencies and met the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution on Leadership and Integrity.
On the memorandum contesting the nomination of Ms Kimonye for appointment as the PSC Vice-Chairperson based on her national identification, the committee said it found the allegations unsubstantiated.
“The committee, based on her national identification found that contrary to the allegations by the petitioner, the nominee is a Meru from the Ameru community hailing from Meru Central District, Abothuguchi “W” Division, Katheri CEN Location, and Kathitha Sub-Location,” the committee said.
“Further, the issue regarding the composition of the commission was settled by the High Court in legal advice on the issue of Centre aka Kituo Cha Sheria, Attorney General and Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury.”
On the memorandum against the nomination of Francis Meja, the committee found that the nominee has never held office in a political party or stood for election as a Member of Parliament or a County Assembly as provided for under Article 233(3) of the Constitution.
The committee also dismissed a memorandum contesting the nomination of Boya Molu and Irene Cherutich Asienga on account of having previously served in another Commission or Independent Office.
“The nominees are suitable for appointment as Vice Chairperson and Members of the Public Service Commission,” the committee ruled.
