Interior Cabinet Secretary nominee Kithure Kindiki has stated that he will not be proud or arrogant in his role as head of the country’s security.
Kindiki was responding to a question from Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa, who asked if he would behave like his predecessor if elected.
“I believe that the ultimate trait of leadership is humility. We will be humble and submit ourselves to all authority, starting with the appointing authority and all state agencies,” he said.
The Appointment Committee questioned Kindiki about whether, unlike his predecessor, he would obey National Assembly summons. “I will obey the summons and invites and comply with all directions of Parliament because it is a symbiotic relationship,” Kindiki said.
His predecessor, Fred Matiang’i, had a rocky relationship with Parliament, which is tasked with overseeing the government’s Executive Arm. He also had difficulty following court orders.
Kindiki noted that he will be humble and respect all branches of government, but that he will be extremely ruthless with those who seek to destabilize the country’s peace.
“99 percent of our people are law-abiding. The one percent that are lawbreakers we will be ruthless with them and we will speak very little about or with them, he said.”
MPs were outraged last year when Interior CS Fred Matiang’i and PS Karanja Kibicho ignored them. According to the National Assembly Committee on Administration and National Security, the ministry’s top brass only appears before them to defend their budget proposals, while ignoring invites and summons meant to address pertinent issues raised by the members.
Kitui Central MP Makau Mulu, a ranking member of the committee, stated that in the three-and-a-half years he has served on the panel, the CS and PS have appeared only three times.
Matiang’i ain failed to appear in 2020 after the Senate summoned him to explain the arrests of three senators.
Parliament threatened to impeach Matiang’i in 2018 after he ignored the committee twice.
