NAIROBI; KENYA: Kenyans will have seven days to submit any complaint they may have on 16 individuals that President Uhuru Kenyatta has nominated to cabinet.
According to the law, Kenyans will be accorded a seven day window period to present any objections in writing on individuals nominated to serve in the executive.
This then will be followed by a public vetting of the nominees by parliament, where each individual will be grilled by MPs on their qualification.
The process of vetting is expected to take at least two weeks, which means that Uhuru’s cabinet can only be ready to work in earlier May.
Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto unveil the newcabinet members, who will be referred as secretaries with the executive expected to submit the names to parliament on Friday for approval.
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi says that once he receives the names from the President, he will make a communication in the house before giving the list to the committee on appointment.
After that, the committee will hold its first sitting and direct the Clerk of the National Assembly Justin Bundi to publish the names in national Newspapers, inviting Kenyans to submit to parliament in writing any objections they may have on the suitability of any nominee.
“Members of the public will be accorded seven day period to submit any complaints they may have on the integrity or unsuitability of any nominee,” he said.
After the expiry of the seven days’ notice, the committee will then begin its sessions of public vetting before retreating to write its report. The report will then be tabled in parliament for MPs to either adopt or reject. If adopted, President Uhuru will then move to formally appoint the individuals ascabinet secretaries.
Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale says that the committee will vet all nominees individually and can either reject the entire list or an individual if they find them unsuitable.
Duale too says the report of the Committee will not necessarily be final as the entire house can decide to reject the committee’s recommendations or even amend the report.
Among the issues that MPs will be interrogating is whether the president has met the constitutional requirements of gender and regional balance and if the list has also incorporated marginalised groups.
Parliament will further question the candidates’ records to establish if they meet the integrity bar as set in Chapter Six on the new Constitution.
Source:standardmedia.co.ke
