Former Cabinet Minister Charity Ngilu is among the five Cabinet Secretary nominees scheduled to appear before the Parliamentary Committee on Appointments today for grilling.
Former Cabinet Minister Charity Ngilu
Ms Ngilu was nominated by President Uhuru Kenyatta to head the Land, Housing and Urban Development docket despite earlier assurance that no politicians would find their way to the Cabinet.
But as Ngilu appears before the team, some tendering scandals that engulfed the Water ministry when she was at the apex of the docket are likely to come back to haunt her.
Although a parliamentary committee cleared her of any wrongdoing, several of her close family members are still facing fraud charges in court.
Her nomination elicited angry reactions from a section of Kenyans and opposition MPs who vowed to reject her when scrutiny of the appointees goes to the floor of the House.
“Which Kenyan doesn’t know that Ngilu has issues with the anti-corruption commission?” Deputy Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo asked shortly after her nomination.
James Wainaina Macharia, who was nominated to head the Ministry of Health, will be the first to take the hot seat.
Doctors had faulted Uhuru and his Deputy William Ruto for picking Macharia, a career banker, to head the ministry, arguing that they should have picked somebody with a health background. The doctors said the President by-passed a number of qualified health professionals who can execute the job for an ‘outsider’.
However, the doctors said they would not petition the parliamentary committee, saying the committee is dominated by Jubilee MPs who are not likely to reject Uhuru’s nominee.
Mr Macharia is a career banker and has an MBA from Henley Management College in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Nairobi. He is also a CPA (K).
Michael Kamau, who was nominated for Cabinet Secretary Transport and Infrastructure, will appear before the committee at 10.30am. Kamau has been a Permanent Secretary since 2007 and a civil servant from 1981.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Nairobi and Master of Science in Engineering degree from the University of New Castle.
Others who would also appear for the vetting are Judi Wangalwa Wakhungu and Fred Okengo Matiang’i.
Prof Wakhungu was nominated for Cabinet Secretary, Environment, Water and Natural Resources while Dr Matiang’i was nominated to head the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology.
Until her nomination, Wakhungu was the Executive Director of the African Centre for Technology Studies.
Dr Matiang’i, on the other hand, has worked as the Eastern Africa regional Representative for the Centre for International Development among other positions.
By FELIX OLICK, The Standard
