MCAs finally pick date to grill Sonko’s cabinet picks
Nairobi County Assembly has finally set a date to vet five County Executive Committee nominees proposed by Governor Mike Sonko.
The names were submitted to the Assembly for vetting more than a week ago but a date for the exercise was yet to be confirmed.
Earlier this month, Governor Sonko had appealed to MCAs to fast track the vetting of his nominees.
The five female nominees will be vetted next month; exactly two months after their names were shortlisted by Governor Sonko in January 11, 2019.
Nairobi Assembly Clerk Jacob Ngwele, in a notice published in local dailies on Monday, stated that the five will appear before the County Assembly’s Committee on Appointments on March 11 for purposes of vetting.
APPROVAL HEARINGS
“…Pursuant to Article 179(2)(b) of the Constitution; section 35 of the County Government Act, 2012 and section5-8 of the Public Appointments (County Assembly Approval) Act, 2017 the following nominees are notified that approval hearings shall be held at Nairobi city County Assembly…,” said Mr Ngwele.
The nominees include Ms Lucia Mulwa, currently the Chief Officer for Education, who was nominated to head the same docket after the resignation of the former holder of the position Janet Ouko; Pauline Kahiga-Waititu, the current Urban Planning chief officer and acting County Secretary, who has been proposed to head Devolution and Public Service Management docket previously held by Veska Kangogo before her suspension last year and Economic Planning chief officer Ms Winfred Gathangu who has been nominated to the helm of the Finance docket.
Others are Ms Sanjeev Sonia Birdi, a former nominated MP, who was nominated to head the Environment department and former Kiambu Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Stella Bosire who was nominated to head the Health docket.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The Appointments committee is headed by acting Speaker Chege Mwaura and Majority Leader Abdi Guyo. Other members are minority leader Elias Otieno, minority and majority whips Peter Imwatok and Waithera Chege respectively, MCAs Millicent Mugadi, David Mberia, Emily Oduor, Peter Wanyoike and Peter Warutere.
Nairobi county government currently has only five substantive executive members out of the 10 required executives following the resignation of former Education executive Ms Ouko, sackings of Health Services executive Hitan Majevdia and Devolution executive Ms Kangogo; and non-renewal of contracts for former ICT and E-government executive Emmah Muthoni and former Agriculture and Livestock executive Architecture Peter Wachira.