Nasa MPs skip vetting of Uhuru Cabinet nominees

What you need to know:

  • Mr Munyes did not give his clear position on the Petroleum Bill that seeks to divide oil revenue.
  • Ms Karoney warned cartels in the ministry of Lands and Housing that their days are numbered should she confirmed as the CS.

Legislators allied to the National Super Alliance on Thursday boycotted the vetting of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s nominees to the Cabinet, living up to their threat not to participate in the exercise.

None of the opposition MPs who sit on the Parliamentary Committee on Appointments showed up for the exercise, leaving the task to their Jubilee colleagues.

Minority Leader in the National Assembly John Mbadi had said last week that opposition MPs would not take part in the exercise since they did not recognise President Kenyatta’s victory in the presidential election.

PUBLIC SERVICE
The exercise however went on under the chairmanship of National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi.

During the vetting of outgoing Public Service Commission head Margaret Kobia, the committee heard that President Kenyatta did not flout the Constitution when he created Cabinet Administrative Secretary positions.

Prof Kobia, the nominee for the Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs docket, defended the move, saying that article 132 (4) (a) of the Constitution empowers the president to establish any office in the public service in consultation with the commission. 

“The creation of these positions was done in consultation and with the recommendations of the Public Service Commission.

"We did the recommendations in writing to the President,” Prof Kobia told the committee after National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale sought clarification. 

STRAIN ON ECONOMY
Prof Kobia said CSs are usually overwhelmed by duties and therefore the CASs will help them in giving services to the people. 

The opposition and a group of civil society organisations have opposed the creation of the positions, saying that they would be an unnecessary burden to the economy that is not doing well. 

They also accused the President of violating the Constitution by trying to reintroduce the defunct assistant minister positions through the backdoor and dishing them to his cronies, politicians who contested but lost in the August 2017 general election.  

John Munyes (Petroleum and Mining), Dr Monica Juma (Foreign Affairs and International Trade), Ms Farida Karoney (Lands and Housing) and former Meru Governor Peter Munya (East Africa Community and the Northern Corridor Development) were also vetted. 

OIL REVENUE
Dr Juma told the committee that Nasa activist Miguna Miguna, who was controversially deported to Canada on Tuesday night after spending five days in detention without trial, is a foreigner. 

Mr Munyes did not give his clear position on the Petroleum Bill that seeks to divide oil revenue between the national (75 per cent), county government (20 per cent) and the local community (5 per cent) following the discovery of oil in Turkana. 

Mr Munyes was opposed to the Bill during his time as Turkana Senator and on Thursday, when prevailed upon by Mr Duale to state whether his position has changed following his CS nomination, he promised to implement the law as passed by Parliament. 

CARTELS
Ms Karoney warned cartels in the ministry of Lands and Housing that their days are numbered should she confirmed as the CS.

She told the committee of appointments during her vetting that she is determined to break the vicious cartels at Ardhi House.

Top on her agenda if confirmed, Ms Karoney said, is the digitization of all land records to cut out middlemen who have caused mayhem and swindled innocent Kenyans money through bribery and title deeds.

Mr Munya on his part asked the committee to dismiss an affidavit filed by Kennedy Lubengu questioning his suitability to be appointed as CS for East African Community, saying it is baseless and lacks facts.

“The issues raised on the affidavit have not been done in good faith and I request this committee to dismiss it summarily,” Mr Munya said.

EACC PROBE
He also dismissed allegations raised by Lubengu that he is under investigations by EACC and therefore should not hold a public office.

The committee is on Friday expected to vet four more nominees, Mr Keriako Tobiko (Environment and Forestry), Simon Chelugui (Water and Sanitation), Mr Ukur Yatani (Labour and Social Services) and Mr Rashid Echesa (Sports and Heritage).  

It will retreat over the weekend to write its report to be presented on the floor recommending the appointment of the nominees or rejection.