Parliament to begin CS vetting on Thursday

The nominees will face tough questions from the MPs who will determine if they are suitable to hold office. 

The vetting exercise, which begins on Thursday, August 1 and concludes on Sunday, August 4, will be conducted by the National Assembly's Committee on Appointments and will be chaired by Speaker Moses Wetangula and deputised by Gladys Boss. 

Other members include Kimani Ichung'wah, David Gikaria, Ferdinand Wanyonyi, Mary Emaase, Rahim Dawood, Junet Mohammed, Caleb Amisi, Hon. Stephen Mule, Nelson Koech, Abdi Shurie, Naisula Lesuuda, David Pkosing and Mishi Mboko.

The committee also includes Owen Baya, Robert Mbui, Rahab Mukami, Dido Raso and George Murugara. Opiyo Wandayi who was a member of the committee will not be part of the vetting panel following his nomination to the Energy docket. 

Each day will have five nominees vetted and the session will be held in an interval of two hours beginning at 8:00 am. 

On Thursday, Kithure Kindiki (interior) will be the first nominee to be vetted at 8:00 am. He will be followed by Dr. Deborah Barasa (Health), Alice Wahome (Lands) , Julius Ogamba (Education) and Soipan Tuya (Defence). 

On Friday, the five nominees to be vetted include Andrew Karanja (Agriculture), Aden Duale (Environment), Eric Muuga (Water), Davis Chirchir (Transport) and Margaret Ndung'u (ICT). 

John Mbadi (Treasury), Salim Mvurya (Trade), Rebecca Miano (Tourism), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy) and Kipchumba Murkomen will be vetted on Saturday consecutively. 

The final day will see Ali Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy), Alfred Mutua (Labour), Wycliffe Oparanya (Co-ooperatives and MSMEs), Justin Muturi (Public Service) and Stella Lang'at (Gender) undergo the vetting exercise. 

President William Ruto's strive to swiftly put up a cabinet might be in jeopardy as several petitions have been filed in court challenging the suitability for a section of the members to hold office. 

Recently, Executive Director of the Commission for Human Rights and Justice filed a petition seeking orders to bar the four ODM CS nominees comprising Joho, Wandayi, Mbadi and Oparanya from holding office. 

The petitioner argued that the involvement of the members would destabilise the opposition's role to provide oversight to government.

The petitioner also seeks the vetting of the four nominees to be stopped.