NAIROBI; KENYA: Five Cabinet Secretary nominees, including former minister Charity Ngilu, faced the vetting team on the second day on Friday.
Cabinet nominee Prof Judy Wakhungu before the vetting committee, at KICC, on Friday.
PHOTO: JONAH ONYANGO/STANDARD
First to walk into the vetting room was Health Secretary nominee, James Macharia followed by Roads and Infrastructure nominee Michael Kamau then Judy Wakhungu shortly after lunch hour. Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet nominee and former Roads Permanent Secretary Michael Kamau revealed at least Sh248 million has been lost in the ministry over the last five years.
Mr Kamau said it is still not clear how the money was lost but investigations have been launched.
He also fight an affidavit to the effect that the Engineers Registration Board in which he served, declined to register and accredit students from a certain university.
He said although the matter is still in court, the decision was not personal but that of the board after it became apparent there was outright deficiency in the training programme.
He said Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology was a victim and it admitted its failure while a few others did not. The Treasury has since offered money to address the deficiency.
Kamau promised to streamline operations at the Kenya Ports Authority in particular the Mombasa port, which he said has not been cooperating with other Government departments in the management of the cargo transport.
“The potential of KPA has not been fully exploited. We don’t receive cooperation from KPA. If I am appointed to this position, the Port has no other way than to cooperate,” he said.
Universal health care
Health Secretary nominee James Macharia said he would ensure universal health care for all Kenyan is achieved. However, Mr Macharia was categorical that for universal health care to be achieved, devolution must be effective.
The former banker, said management of the health sector and in so far as making affordable health care available in the rural areas, his ministry would have to work closely with the national treasury and the ministry of Devolution in order to make effectively decentralises health services.
“We should have policies that guarantee universal health care. But this will not happen if devolution is not effective. The big hospitals are concentrated in big cities; in rural areas people don’t have good health facilities. We must make sure devolution of health facilities is effective. We must ensure that the policies we develop are all geared towards universal health care. We need to sit down with treasury to come up with short term measures to deal with health challenges and in the medium term we should have proper policies,” he said.
Macharia said he would develop policies to ensure doctors and nurses get proper training and remuneration.
“Training of doctors and remuneration is a critical issue. If there is dialogue you can save a lot of problems. Until we have enough money we need to revive that concept of mobile clinics. Where I am coming from we have never had of corruption and management must reflect the choice of Kenya. Corruption is a major problem especially within the Kemsa,” he said.
Prof Judy Wakhungu, the Cabinet nominee for Water and Natural Resources took the shortest time compared to other nominees. She said if approved, she would introduce stiffer penalties to end poaching
“I will impose the highest penalty possible against poaching. The penalty now encourages and sustains poaching. We will ensure human activities do not encroach the parks,” she said.
By MWANIKI MUNUHE, The Standard
