Twenty-two ambassadors, high commissioners and permanent representatives nominated by President Uhuru Kenyatta last month will have their qualifications vetted by the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations.
Despite being in recess, the house speaker Justin Muturi has given the committee the task of evaluating the qualifications and suitability of these candidates for the roles as stipulated by the Public Appointments Act.
On April 14, 2022, Parliament went on recess after the speaker was forced to invoke Standing Orders and adjourn the afternoon meeting, which aggravated an uproar between pro-DP William Ruto MPs and his detractors. The recess is set to end on May 10, 2022.
In February, the House ruled that if the House is on recess when President Kenyatta makes State appointments, Speaker Justin Muturi will forward the appointees names to relevant parliamentary committees for appraisal without recalling the House.
“The message now stands referred to the Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations for the committee to commence necessary vetting processes,” “The clerk is hereby required to transmit this notification to all members of the National Assembly and facilitate the committee to undertake the necessary approval hearings expeditiously.” Stated Muturi in a statement.
Notable names on the list of appointees are; Nyeri Deputy Governor Dr Caroline Karugu and former ICT Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo, who have been appointed as Kenyan Ambassadors to Denmark and Belgium, respectively. In addition, National Assembly Clerk Michael Sialai has been appointed as Kenya’s High Commissioner to the Republic of Namibia.