Parliament Vows Rigorous Vetting of Ruto’s Cabinet Nominees

Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohamed said that the parliamentary vetting committee will subject President William Ruto’s Cabinet Secretary (CS) nominees to thorough scrutiny, signaling a departure from what he described as “business as usual” in previous vetting processes.

President Ruto had on Tuesday submitted the names of 10 CS nominees to Parliament for approval, after dismissing 21 of the previous Cabinet members, with only Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi retaining his position.

Addressing the media, Junet, who is a member of the opposition, said the vetting will not be a mere formality this time around.

He emphasized that the Parliament is responsible for ensuring the nominees meet the required qualifications and capabilities to serve as CSs.

“This time and this period in Parliament, I want to tell members who are my colleagues that vetting is not going to be business as usual. This time, if somebody is not suitable, capable and doesn’t have the capacity, we are going to throw them out. We must do justice to Kenyans. We must do our work properly this time,” Junet said.

The legislator noted that the House has records of the CSs who were vetted last year, and he is prepared to be part of the vetting committee to grill the nominees “face to face.”

“I’m prepared to be in the vetting committee to meet you face to face,” Junet added, emphasizing the need to ensure Kenyans get value for their money.

Speaker Moses Wetang’ula had earlier on Tuesday read out the message from the President, conveying the names of the 10 CS nominees to the House for the start of the vetting process.