MPs criticise Uhuru's cabinet

By Peter Opiyo

Nairobi, Kenya: A section of Members of the National Assembly have faulted the list of nominees to the posts of Cabinet Secretaries saying it is not regionally balanced and includes politicians of questionable character.

The legislators who included 12 lawmakers from the Maa community (Maasai and Samburu) and Deputy Minority leader in the National Assembly Jakoyo Midiwo, said the Assembly would reject the names unless President Uhuru Kenyatta revises it.

The legislators from the Maa community led by Kajiado Central member of the National Assembly Joseph Nkaissery and his Kilgoris counterpart Gideon Konchella said they would mobilise their colleagues to reject the names, saying their communities were given a raw deal.

Nkaissery said the list favours the President’s Kikuyu and Deputy President William Ruto’s Kalenjin communities, pointing out it is a poor show of managing a government formed after a divisive election.

They also took issue with the President nominating politicians Najib Balala and Charity Ngilu asCabinet Secretaries. Both unsuccessfully contested the positions of Senators in Mombasa and Kitui Counties, respectively.

“The Community where the President comes from has four slots and that of the Deputy President has three slots. Where is the face of Kenya in this? They also told the country they will not bring politicians to the Cabinet yet they go bring the worst of politicians,” said Nkaissery.

Konchella questioned the caliber of the two politicians nominated by the President. They (President and Deputy President) also promised they won’t appoint politicians, but some of those appointed are the most corrupt, so it is like business as usual,” said Konchella.

Midiwo questioned the integrity of Ms Ngilu, the nominee for the post of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, saying she has got a pending case with the Ethics and Anticorruption Commission.

“I am disappointed that only a day after  the president  and his deputy promised they will give us the cabinet good as the first four (nominated on Tuesday), but they have brought to us questionable politicians. We will get everything about them and we want the public to participate in their vetting,” Midiwo told journalists at Parliament’s Media Centre.

He termed the list of the nominees as unconstitutional as it does not meet the regional diversity of the country and asked Uhuru to revise the list if he is intent on carrying the country along with him.

“I don’t think the cabinet meets the constitutional requirement of regional balance, it is the wrong direction and shows insensitivity, they need to revise the list. If it is a cabinet of two regions then the president is not willing to unite the country. This can’t be a community affair it must be a national affair,” said Midiwo, the Gem member of the National Assembly.“It is incumbent upon Uhuru to carry the country along, because the country is not peaceful, it is just calm,” he added.

Samburu East member of the National Assembly Raphael Letimalo and Konchella said it is necessary that the country’s 42 tribes are represented in the appointments of the Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries.

The names are now expected in the National Assembly for vetting before the President makes the formal appointments. Nkaissery, who is a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Appointments, said he would persuade other members to reject the list as is currently constituted. The Committee will vet the nominees and present its report to Plenary for adoption or rejection.

“I’ll talk with my colleagues in the appointments committee to reject the names, but if tyranny of numbers would carry the day then Kenyans would speak,” said Nkaissery.