Cabinet vetting awaits Parliament as sittings resume

The National Assembly has a packed schedule as it resumes its sittings on Tuesday, October 11. The august house has until November 3 to sift through President William Ruto’s nominees to cabinet.

As such, the National Assembly has to constitute the important committee on appointment that will begin the work of vetting Cabinet nominees.

Chaired by the speaker of the National Assembly the committee constitutes the deputy speaker, the majority and minority leaders with their deputies and eight other members to be nominated by the majority and minority sides as both sides will be nominating four members each.

The committee has 28 days from the first sitting within which they are to audit President Ruto’s nominees to the cabinet and table a report in the house.

The house plenary has to debate the report within 7 days as the parliamentary timelines dictate that the National Assembly has until November 3, to conduct the vetting exercise of Cabinet Secretary nominees.

Meanwhile, the national assembly on Friday, October 7 asked the public to submit memoranda on all the Cabinet nominees ahead of the vetting exercise.

At the Public Service Commission (PSC), the 585 shortlisted candidates for Principal Secretary position begin their interviews on October 12 up to October 22.

PSC intends to cross examine at least five applicants within an hour and nearly 60 applicants in a day. Another shortlist will be made to be presented to the president to select suitable process before they are again grilled by various committees of the National Assembly.

A section of politicians who lost in the August General Election, parastatal bosses and serving PSs are among applicants in the Principal Secretaries race.

Also lined up is search for the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, as the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) begins vetting on Tuesday, October 11.

The race to replace George Kinoti attracted more than 160 applications but only 10 were shortlisted.

Among those shortlisted are top bosses within the police service, drawn from different units including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

Kinoti resigned from the position of DCI boss and has been posted to the Public Service Commission.