The National Assembly has given the thumbs up to the appointments of three high-ranking officials to various diplomatic posts.
The Departmental Committee on Defence Intelligence and Foreign Relations cleared former Cabinet Secretaries Ababu Namwamba and Andrew Karanja, as well as ex-Deputy Inspector General Noor Gabow, to assume their roles in various countries.
Dr. Karanja has been nominated as Kenya’s envoy to Brazil, while Ababu Namwamba will serve as the Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). Noor Gabow, on the other hand, has been appointed Consul-General in Haiti.
However, the appointments have not been without controversy. The withdrawal of former ICT Cabinet Secretary Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u, who was nominated as Kenya’s High Commissioner to Ghana, sparked heated debate in the committee.
Nyambura failed to appear before the committee and rejected President Ruto’s nomination citing personal and compelling family matters. The Accra posting has reportedly been “jinxed” since Ndung’u is the second nominee to turn down the position after former West Mugirango MP Victor Mogaka Kemosi in April last year.
Committee chair Nelson Koech accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Head of Public Service of failing to properly vet nominees before presenting them for diplomatic roles. He noted that their rejection reflects poorly on President Ruto and Kenya.
“It is imperative for this committee that we put notice to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Head of Public Service that they should do their due diligence in future when doing this appointment,” Koech said.
“The picking of names of individuals who probably may not have been consulted or have no interest to represent our country is not only an embarrassment to the country but an embarrassment to the President.”
The three appointees will now await their swearing-in by President Ruto. The controversy surrounding Nyambura’s withdrawal, however, has raised questions about the vetting process and the accountability of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- “Pursuant to the provisions of Article 132(2)(e) of the Constitution, section 20(2) of the Foreign Services Act, CAP 185E and sections 3 and 8 of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, CAP 7F, this House approves the appointments…”
