Packed agenda awaits William Ruto's CS nominees after Parliament nod

President William Ruto leads members of the Cabinet in a prayer during a Cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi on Dec 17, 2024. [PCS]

A host of issues await the three newly nominated Cabinet Secretaries, should they be approved by Parliament ahead of their approval hearings on January 14, 2025.

The nominees include former Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, who has been nominated for the Agriculture and Livestock Development docket; William Kabogo nominated to head the Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy docket, Lee Kinyanjui, has been nominated for Investments, Trade and Industry docket.

“Pursuant to Article 118(1)(b) of the Constitution and Section 6(4) of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act (Cap. 7F), the committees shall conduct approval hearings (vetting) of the nominees on the dates, times, and venues indicated in the schedule,” reads a statement from National Assembly Clerk Samuel Njoroge.

Kagwe, a former member of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s cabinet, will face his first task which is leading the upcoming nationwide livestock vaccination campaign. The exercise, which aims to vaccinate at least 22 million cattle and 50 million goats and sheep against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and peste des petis ruminants (PPR), is set to commence next month.

However, even before its rollout, the programme has faced criticism from various quarters, with livestock farmers, the Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) and the political class at the forefront of the opposition.

They have argued that the exercise is a foreign agenda being imposed on Kenyans and expressed concerns that the vaccine could permanently alter the genetic structure of the local breeds, potentially leading to serious health consequences to the population.

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The government has, however, dismissed the claims, noting that the vaccination decision was informed by a benchmarking exercise with the Agriculture ministries in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

Kagwe will now face the arduous task of convincing the public why they should vaccinate their cattle. He is scheduled to appear before the Committee on Appointments, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, as the first nominee on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at noon.

Data breach

CS nominee Kabogo, who is expected to address concerns raised by Kenyans regarding the government’s alleged breach of privacy through the use of telco data for tracking purposes, will also appear before the House team for vetting on January 14 at 3PM, followed by Kinyanjui at 5PM. Kinyanjui is expected to take on the herculean task of spurring economic growth. Additionally, the departmental committee on Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations will vet nominees for ambassadorial, high commissioner, and diplomatic representative positions on Friday, January 10, 2025, at Committee Room 9, 1st Floor, and Main Parliament Buildings.

Among the nominees is Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u, the immediate former Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, who has been nominated as Kenya’s High Commissioner to Accra, Ghana. She will appear before the committee, chaired by Belgut MP Nelson Koech, at 9am.

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Dr Andrew Karanja, the immediate former Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, has been nominated as Kenya’s Ambassador to Brazil and is scheduled to appear at 11am.

Ababu Namwamba, the former Sports Cabinet Secretary, who has been nominated as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, will face the panel at 2pm.

Former Deputy Inspector General of Police Noor Gabow, who has been nominated as Consul-General to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, will conclude the vetting at 4pm.

Meanwhile, the departmental committee on Labour will also conduct approval hearings for nominees to fill vacancies at the Public Service Commission (PSC) on January 9, 2025, at Committee Room 9, 1st Floor, Main Parliament Buildings.

Among the nominees is former Principal Secretary for the State Department for Public Service, Mary Wanjira Kimonye, who has been named the new Vice-Chairperson of the PSC and six other nominees for member positions. The public may submit sworn statements (affidavits) with evidence contesting any nominee’s suitability.