Only seven Cabinet Secretaries, 24 PSs to be vetted – Justin Muturi

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has directed relevant parliamentary committees to vet only seven Cabinet Secretaries and 24 Permanent Secretaries who were recently appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

In a directive made during a parliamentary session on Wednesday, Justin Muturi told the 12 committees involved with vetting the new nominees to embark on approval hearing and report back to the House within 14 days.

There has been calls by several members of parliament for fresh vetting of all Cabinet Secretaries including those who have been moved to other ministries, a suggestion that has been vehemently rejected by Justin Muturi.

The National Assembly Speaker explained that it is within the president’s powers to reassign cabinet and principal secretaries without fresh vetting.

“Articles 152 and 155 allows the president to re-assign the cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries respectively. Interpretations of these provisions is that a person vetted and approved for appointment may be reassigned within the same position,” he said.

“Any person appointed CS or PS can be reassigned without vetting if it is in the same position. They will therefore require no further approval hearings,” said Muturi in his address.

“As such only seven cabinet nominees Charles Keter (Energy), Cleophas Mailu (Health), Mwangi Kiunjuri (Devolution), Daniel Kazungu (Mining), Sicily Kariuki (Public Service and Youth Affair) and Willy Bett (Agriculture) and Joe Mucheru (ICT).”

His directive came hours after Attorney General Professor Githu Muigai advised parliamentary committees against vetting all Cabinet Secretaries, including those who have been reassigned saying the move would be unconstitutional.

The public appointments committee chaired by the speaker is set to publish the names of the nominees on Thursday inviting the public for input about the persons and to conclude the vetting exercise by December 14, 2015.

Further 11 departmental committees have been tasked to vet 24 principal secretary nominees and to conclude and report to the House by December 15, 2015.

The national assembly is set to proceed for the long recess on Thursday meaning the house will have to be recalled to consider approving the nominees.