Monica Juma during her vetting in Parliament on June 9, 2015. In a rare
show of defiance, a group of Central Kenya MPs have told President Uhuru
Kenyatta to accept the rejection of Dr Monica Juma’s nomination as
Secretary to the Cabinet. PHOTO | BILLY MUTAI |
NATION MEDIA GRO
In Summary
In a rare show of defiance, a group of central Kenya MPs have
told President Uhuru Kenyatta to accept the rejection of Dr Monica
Juma’s nomination as secretary to the Cabinet.
The 15
MPs from the President’s political backyard warned that there was a
clear difference between Parliament and the Executive.
They
said the Head of State should not be seen to force decisions down the
throats of MPs because the legislature is independent and not a rubber
stamp.
The party rebellion limits the President’s
choices in pushing through a candidate he described as “experienced and
professional” and one who could have contributed to the Jubilee agenda.
“We
do not expect the President to dictate to Parliament what to do with
nominees he sends to the House for approval. The House can either reject
or approve the nominee,” said Kandara MP Alice Wahome.
She
claimed that part of the parliamentary security committee’s problem
with Dr Juma was an alleged attempt to transfer the Sh6 billion National
Police Insurance scheme from AAR to APA Insurance.
'MY VILLAGE GIRL'
She further claimed that Prof Peter Kagwanja, Dr Juma’s husband, was a director at APA.
However,
Prof Kagwanja denied the claims by the MP, whom he described as “my
village girl”. He said he had never been involved in insurance.
“I am not an expert in insurance and I have nothing with insurance. I don’t know anything about APA,” he said by phone.
Prof
Kagwanja worked as an adviser to former Interior Affairs ministers John
Michuki, George Saitoti, Katoo ole Metito and Joseph ole Lenku but left
the role after Dr Juma was appointed principal secretary in the
Ministry of Interior and Co-ordination of the National Government.
“I
am aware of the doctrine of conflict of interest. When my wife was
appointed, I lost income because I immediately stopped my role. I went
to the University of Nairobi, where I teach PhD and master's students in
the Institute of Diplomacy to make up for the lost income,” he said.
He
accused Ms Wahome and Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau of spearheading the
rejection of Dr Juma and vowed to sue the Kandara MP over the claims.
“Alice
Wahome fronted the rejection of my wife. She comes from my village and
even though she is elected, she is not fit to tie my shoes or those of
my wife. Jamleck Kamau seconded the Motion only to vote against my
wife,” he said.
'BRAKES ON BRIBES'
In
her offensive against Dr Juma, Ms Wahome said the nominee was to blame
for the “low absorption” of the police operations vote, saying Sh2
billion allocated to the police was returned to the Treasury, despite
the myriad challenges facing the force, including lack of equipment and
poor and inadequate housing.
The confidential vote is
understood to have been abused and corruptly disbursed. Some MPs claim
that their colleagues turned against Dr Juma when she applied the brakes
on bribes and free money handed out to MPs from the police confidential
vote and punished her by rejecting her appointment.
However,
this may turn out to be a weak decision because the President could
decide to retain her in the position she now occupies.
Dagoretti
South MP Dennis Waweru said the Legislature and the Executive had clear
mandates and that decisions made by the National Assembly were final.
“When the National Assembly has spoken, then that decision is final,” said the MP.
However,
the MPs reiterated their support for President Kenyatta and Deputy
President William Ruto, saying their rejection of Dr Juma was only meant
to advise the President that his choice was not the most suitable for
the position.
KURIA 'A RUMOUR-MONGER'
The
MPs were reacting to President Kenyatta’s disapproval of their conduct,
with sources at State House indicating that he was willing to push to
have his nominee approved.
Jubilee MPs led the
rejection of Dr Juma, although National Assembly Majority Leader Aden
Duale and Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria tried to rally them to approve
her nomination.
The chairman of the National Assembly's
Administration and National Security Committee, Mr Asman Kamama,
yesterday denied reports that his team was compromised and challenged
anyone with such information to forward it to the Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission.
“I can state here openly
that no one took a cent from anyone,” he said on the floor of the House.
He also called for the sanctioning of Mr Kuria, describing him as a
rumour-monger.
As the public questioned the MPs'
rejection of Dr Juma, it emerged that President Kenyatta had the option
of either retaining her at Interior or appointing her in another
capacity that would not require vetting.
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