Jubilee MPs are not satisfied with rejecting Ms Monica Juma’s nomination as Secretary to the Cabinet and are now pushing to have her sacked as Interior Principal Secretary.
Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Administration and National Security Asman Kamama revealed the dark plot and vowed that his committee would not work with Juma, alleging that she had underperformed.
But Majority Leader in the National Assembly,Aden Duale dismissed the plot and said Juma will not budge.
“Whatever committees decide must be approved by the entire House. What was before the National Assembly was the nomination of Monica Juma as Secretary to the Cabinet, which ended,” said Duale at a news conference in Parliament.
MPs are now demanding that the rejected Secretary to the Cabinet nominee Monica Juma be sacked from her current post as Interior and Co-ordination of National Government Principal Secretary.
The chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Administration and National Security Asman Kamama, whose team orchestrated her rejection, vowed that his committee will never work with the Interior PS.
"We are not going to work with that officer. As far as we are concerned, we made a decision. That decision is final. It is upon the President to find someone else to replace her. We will not work with her. Atakuwa anafanya vitu zake huko (she can go do her stuff elsewhere)," said Kamama, as he at a news conference at noon yesterday.
The committee that vetted Juma and rejected her nomination as Secretary to the Cabinet is the link between the Ministry of Interior and the National Assembly.
PS inept
A frosty relationship with the PS, who is the ministry's accounting officer, may cripple operations at the key department that is in charge of the safety of Kenyans.
Kamama held another Press conference in the evening where he reiterated that the President must heed the decision of the National Assembly that Juma is unfit for the Cabinet job for which she had been nominated, claiming that she underperformed in her current docket.
"She underperformed because under her tenure at the Ministry of Interior, we lost 700 people. We don't want her there. Where she is going to land will be the prerogative of the President," said Kamama, who was accompanied by Laikipia East MP Anthony Kimaru.
And in the House, the hawkish lawmakers turned their guns on one of their own for exposing the backroom deals that led to the rejection of Juma for the job of Secretary to the Cabinet.
The MPs have ganged up to censure Moses Kuria (Gatundu South) in the House next Tuesday after their push to have him punished in the House by the Speaker failed yesterday.
Anthony Kimaru (Laikipia East) had wanted Kuria censured for comments he made in a TV interview, but National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi blocked the move because the alleged offence was made outside the House.
Kuria represents President Kenyatta's home constituency of Gatundu South, and has been vocal in criticising MPs for rejecting Juma's nomination. As Kamama breathed fire and Kimaru schemed against Kuria, the Majority Leader of the National Assembly Aden Duale (Garissa Township) insisted that Juma was at the Interior ministry to stay.
No changes
"Whatever committees decide must be approved by the entire House. What was before the National Assembly was the nomination of Monica Juma as Secretary to the Cabinet. That ended. The Executive has powers and Monica Juma can be the PS Interior," said Duale at a news conference in Parliament.
He added, "Nobody has raised issues about her to the National Assembly, the Leader of Majority or the Jubilee coalition," said Duale.
He said the name of the Director of Immigration Maj Gen (rtd) Gordon Kihalangwa had not been formally submitted to the National Assembly for vetting to replace Juma, and she will, therefore, continue occupying the position.
"Anyone who has a problem with that must find a way of chasing her (out), but remember the National Assembly can only impeach a Cabinet secretary, not a Principal Secretary. A Principal Secretary can only be removed by the appointing authority and that is the President," said Duale.
On Kuria's censure, Kimaru said he had to be named for imputing bad faith on the decision of MPs to reject the Interior PS.
"This House voted unanimously to approve the report of that committee. That member went on air to insinuate and actually allege that members of this House were bribed to vote the way they did. When he alleges that we received bribes, he diminishes our stature," said Kimaru.
But the Speaker said he would not get involved in alleged offences committed outside the precincts of the House.
"You want me to police what members say when they appear in churches or rallies? They appear everywhere saying all manner of things. We must not be seen to gag people. I don't want to make a decision which will set a bad precedent," he said.
Kimaru said he will file a substantive motion to be discussed when the House resumes sittings on Tuesday.
