Tough queries in final day of CSs vetting as team starts writing report

The Committee on Appointments yesterday completed the vetting of Cabinet Secretaries, bringing to 24 the number of nominees vetted by the House. The 24 have a combined net worth of Sh15.2 billion.

Yesterday, four nominees appeared before the Moses Wetang’ula-chaired panel.

The four have a combined net worth of Sh1.788 billion. They were Simon Chelugui (Co-operatives and SMEs), Salim Mvurya (Mining, Blue economy and maritime affairs), Florence Bore (Labour and Social protection) and Secretary to the Cabinet Mercy Wanjau.

Mr Chelugui revealed to the committee that he is worth Sh993 million; Mr Mvurya (Sh120 million); Ms Bore (Sh200 million) while Ms Wanjau is worth Sh475 million.

Upon the completion of the vetting, the committee will now retreat to write its report on the suitability of the nominees and will present a report to the House next week either for approval or rejection.

Also Read: Humour, confessions, jabs that punctuated vetting of nominees

The House can adopt the committee report in totality or with appointments but it can also reject the committee report.

Whatever the decision the House makes, the Standing Orders require the Clerk of the National Assembly to notify the President on the decision.

Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises

Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Cabinet Secretary nominee Simon Chelugui yesterday fought off allegations around the stalled Sh29 billion Itare Dam project.

Appearing before the Committee on Appointments for vetting over his suitability to serve in the new ministry, Mr Chelugui said he did not play any role in the collapse of the project, saying he was appointed to the Ministry of Water in 2018 when the project was already on its deathbed.

Mr Chelugui told the Moses Wetang’ula-chaired committee that since he was summoned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in 2020, nothing has come out of the probe so far.

On the Hustler Fund, Mr Chelugui said the money will not be free, contrary to expectations of many people who are waiting for its rollout.

While responding to Pokot South MP David Pkosing’s question on why the government is changing goalposts on the fund, Mr Chelugui clarified that the fund will be an affordable credit product.

Also Read: Vetting of CS nominees - Live Blog

“We have no free money. Hustler Fund is not free money ... It’s an affordable fund to facilitate business so that we can lend to other people. It will be lent at a single-digit interest rate. We are talking of nine percent but discussions are still going on and it might even come down,” Mr Chelugui said.

Mr Chelugui was also taken to task over how his net worth has increased from Sh796 million in 2018 when he was being vetted as a nominee for Water and Irrigation to Sh993 million in 2022

He was also put to task on what intervention he made during his reign as Labour Cabinet Secretary over the fate of Kenyan migrant workers in the Middle East that had been suffering at the hands of their employers.

He told the committee that so far this year, 62 Kenyans have died in the Middle East, noting that during his tenure, the ministry made significant progress in putting up structures to address the plight of the migrant workers.

Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs

Lack of adequate funding to the mining and fishing sector has denied the country revenue amounting to millions of shillings, the Cabinet Secretary Nominee for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs told the vetting panel yesterday.

Mr Salim Mvurya told MPs during his vetting that despite the potential of the country to benefit from its natural resources and fishing, there has been no proper funding for the sectors, a trend he promised to change if approved by the House.

“Kenya’s 90 percent international trade is done in the ocean. This is an important figure. We must fund the area so that, as a country, we can achieve the desired income,” Mr Mvurya said.

On miners, Mr Mvurya said there is an urgent need for training in order to liberate them from the yokes of middlemen who take advantage of them on the value of gold.

Mr Mvurya also regretted that gold miners especially in areas like Kakamega, Migori and other regions have to take their gold to either Mwanza in Tanzania or South Africa yet Kenya has the capacity to do the same work if there is proper funding to provide the facilities.

The nominee was also put to task over his role in the renewal of a special mining licence for Base Titanium in Kwale, with accusations that he had a hand in the process despite protests from the community.

Mr Mvurya, however, distanced himself, saying that as governor, he was not involved.

 Mr Mvurya said if confirmed by Parliament, he will digitise the issuance of mining licences to reduce corruption cases.

“We will digitise the process so that people do not have to run around in hotels looking for people. When we do this, it will be easier to control, track and know the people who have applied for the licences,” Mr Mvurya said.

MPs also asked Mr Mvurya to address the harassment of Kenyan fishermen by Ugandan authorities.

Labour and Social Protection

There is no turning back on the quest by the Kenya Kwanza government to increase the contribution of workers to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), the Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary nominee has said.

Ms Florence Bore yesterday told the Committee on Appointments during her vetting that the current Sh150 contribution to NSSF is not enough to help people after retirement.

Ms Bore, a former Kericho Woman Representative, said while other countries within the region such as Uganda have upscaled their percentage contributions to 15 percent, Kenyan workers still only contribute Sh200.

“We want to tell our people to save more so that we can build a greater future. The Sh200 paid by workers is not enough to save for the future,” Ms Bore told the committee.

“We will increase the pay so that we decrease the social stipend that the government has to offer to the old persons ,” she added.

She also revealed that the government will bring on board those in the informal sector to contribute to NSSF

While she was not clear on how this will be done, she suggested that the government might consider collaborating with Safaricom so that any time one buys airtime, part of the money goes to the NSSF kitty.

The question on the plight of suffering Kenyan workers in the Middle East also arose, with MPs pressing her on the exact policies she will come up to ensure the dignity of those who move to the Gulf in search of employment are treated decently by their employers.

“No parent sends a child to the gulf and expects them to come back in a coffin. I want to promise this committee that if approved, I will get to the bottom of this issue. My first action will be to discuss with my counterpart in Saudi Arabia over this issue,” Ms Bore said.

Secretary to the Cabinet

The controversial appointment of Mercy Wanjau as the Acting Director-General (DG) of the Communications Authority (CA) in 2019 came to haunt her yesterday as she faced a committee probing her suitability to hold the office of the Secretary to the Cabinet.

For close to 90 minutes, MPs revisited the controversial events in 2019 when the former DG of CA Francis Wangusi was ousted from office despite a court order that extended his tenure at the authority.

In his place, Ms Wanjau was then appointed in acting capacity, although the board of the CA was not lawfully constituted to make the appointment.

Ms Wanjau told the committee that she was appointed by the State Corporations Advisory Council and the court did not order her to vacate office.

Ms Wanjau was also required to give her views on the plan by the government to install the Device Management System (DNS) on mobile devices.

“The DNS system is focused on enhancing the quality of the standards of mobile devices. There has been a narrative that it is a spying tool. Just like any other ICT tool, the intention of the system is to improve standards of mobile devices by getting rid of counterfeits,” she stated.

Ms Wanjau’s business dealings were also brought into light when it emerged that she acquired properties owned by the CA. She was required to explain how she bought property worth millions of shillings from CA when she used to work as the assistant director yet other staff at the authority were not allowed to buy the property.

Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah queried her on who financed the purchase of properties and whether other members of staff were allowed to do the same. Ms Wanjau replied that the purchase of the properties was carried in line with regulations.

“It was part of property owned by CA and it was disposed of in a transparent manner,” she said. “We got financed by a housing corporation.”