'Yes, I'm qualified to be CS': Joho responds to court challenge over Cabinet appointment
Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho
Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho has maintained that he is qualified for his appointment to the Cabinet and that a petition challenging his selection has no basis.
In response to a petition filed by an organisation- Genesis for Human Rights- Mr Joho says the petitioner has not pointed out any violation of the Constitution, for the court to consider.
Mr Joho says no evidence has been adduced by the petitioner to sustain any claim or allegation to show that the provision of Chapter Six of the Constitution had been violated.
“The petitioner has not pointed out anything that was either unprocedurally or illegally done by any of the respondents (Parliament) including the interested party (Mr Joho),” he says in response.
The organisation challenged Parliament’s approval of Mr Joho arguing that it was unprocedural and illegal as the MPs disregarded various memoranda containing evidence of his unsuitability.
Mr Caleb Ngwena said Mr Joho’s appointment was made in violation of Chapter 6 of the Constitution, and that he does not hold the requisite qualification to hold the office of a Cabinet secretary.
Other than the academic qualification, Mr Ngwena said Mr Joho was not suitable for appointment as he was the deputy party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement, a minority party in Parliament that has a role to oversight government investment and expenditure.
High Court judge Lawrence Mugambi on Tuesday directed that the case be mentioned for directions on October 17.
Mr Joho said his academic credentials had been investigated by various government institutions, including the Commission of University Education, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the court, and which cleared him.
According to the former Mombasa governor, he holds a public leadership credential from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, a bachelor’s of Business Administration from Kampala University, a certificate in business administration from the same university, and a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education from Serani Secondary School.
Mr Joho has further challenged the organisation to prove the claims of economic crimes to the required standards.
“For the foregoing impeccable reasons, among others, the interested party shall at the appropriate time, submit that the petitioner’s petition is not only ill-conceived but that it arrived at the court registry in a comatose and moribund state, therefore, loudly calling for its dismissal,” Mr Joho said in an affidavit.
