National Assembly Begins Vetting Process For President Ruto’s Nominees

The National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetang’ula, has directed parliamentary committees to begin the vetting process for President William Ruto’s recent nominees for Cabinet Secretary positions, High Commissioners, Ambassadors, and members of the Public Service Commission (PSC).

In a notification to Members of Parliament dated Friday, December 20, 2024, Wetang’ula referred the nominees to the respective committees, instructing them to submit their reports by January 15, 2025.

Wetang’ula emphasized adherence to parliamentary procedures outlined in Standing Order 42(2), which requires notification of such presidential messages even when the House is not in session.

“It is notified to all Members of the National Assembly that, on 20th December 2024, I received Messages from His Excellency the President, notifying of the nomination of persons for appointment as Cabinet Secretaries, High Commissioners, Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives, and Members of the Public Service Commission,” the statement read.

The Cabinet Secretary nominees have been referred to the Committee on Appointments, while nominees for High Commissioners, Ambassadors, and other diplomatic roles will be vetted by the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations.

The Departmental Committee on Labour will handle the vetting of PSC nominees.

The Speaker granted the committees permission to convene during the parliamentary recess to expedite the process.

Ruto’s Cabinet Reshuffle

President William Ruto announced the nominations on December 19, 2024, as part of a government restructuring aimed at enhancing service delivery and driving the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

Mutahi Kagwe has been nominated as Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Lee Kinyanjui for Investments, Trade, and Industry, and William Kabogo for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy.

The reshuffle also includes diplomatic appointments, with Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u nominated as High Commissioner to Ghana and Dorothy Angote as High Commissioner to Zimbabwe. Andrew Karanja has been named Ambassador to Brazil, while Ababu Namwamba will serve as Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON).