By BD REPORTER
In Summary
- Sicily Kariuki, the cabinet secretary nominee in the Public Service and Youth Affairs ministry, on Tuesday released results showing tenders issued to women and the youth under the newly created Public Service and Youth Affairs department.
- Lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui termed Ms Kariuki’s move as illegal and a contempt of the Constitution because she doesn’t have the mandate to carry out ministerial duties before taking the oath of office.
- Ms Kariuki is scheduled to be vetted by the National Assembly’s Committee on Appointments this Friday.
Cabinet secretary nominee in the Public Service and
Youth Affairs ministry Sicily Kariuki on Tuesday presided over a
function in her proposed docket before being vetted in Parliament.
Ms Kariuki is Principal Secretary Agriculture and on Tuesday released results showing tenders issued to women and the youth under the newly created Public Service and Youth Affairs department.
Ms Kariuki is Principal Secretary Agriculture and on Tuesday released results showing tenders issued to women and the youth under the newly created Public Service and Youth Affairs department.
Lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui termed Ms Kariuki’s move as
illegal and a contempt of the Constitution because she doesn’t have the
mandate to carry out ministerial duties before taking the oath of
office.
“This is illegal, it is only after being sworn as
the CS that she would have been conferred the mandate to carry out the
tasks that are commensurate with her roles,” said Mr Kinyanjui.
He said that the CS nominee was not being faithful
to the constitutional requirements of being vetted first, then appointed
by the president before embarking on her ministerial duties.
Ms Kariuki is scheduled to be vetted by the National Assembly’s Committee on Appointments this Friday.
Article 152(2) of the Constitution requires the
President to nominate and, with the approval of the National Assembly,
appoint Cabinet Secretaries.
Ms Kariuki is among seven cabinet secretary
nominees who are due for vetting on a list that includes Cleopa Mailu
(Health), Mwangi Kiunjuri (Devolution) and Charles Keter (Energy).
President Uhuru Kenyatta reshuffled his Cabinet on
November 24 to replace five ministers who are being investigated for
graft, and Devolution minister Anne Waiguru who resigned after being
accused of corruption.
Other cabinet secretaries affected by the reshuffle
include Prof Jacob Kaimenyi, who was moved from Education to Lands,
and Fred Matiang’i who replaced Kaimenyi from the ministry of
Information and Communication.
Prof Kaimenyi and Dr Matiang’i have been presiding
over functions in their new dockets because they don’t require to be
vetted afresh given that they were already in the Cabinet and were
re-assigned duties.
Ms Kariuki needs to be vetted because she has been promoted from principal secretary to cabinet secretary.
The Constitution does not require ministers who
have been reassigned duties to be vetted afresh. National Assembly
Speaker Justin Muturi ruled out the MPs over their quest to vet afresh
nominees who had been moved to other ministries.
In 2013, Ms Kariuki was on the spot when she opted
to remain on the board of Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) after her
appointment as PS despite the law barring State officers from extra
gainful employment.
The bank, which is associated with the family of Mr
Kenyatta in 2012 appointed Ms Kariuki, then CEO of the Tea Board of
Kenya, in a board shake-up that saw the Head of State’s lawyer tapped as
chair.
The Constitution bars full-time State officers from
participating in any gainful employment, with the Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission terming such appointments illegal.
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