Kathiani Member of Parliament (MP) Robert Mbui stated that lawmakers face a significant challenge as they return to the House to vet President William Ruto’s first batch of new Cabinet nominees. The National Assembly resumes its sittings on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, after nearly a month-long recess.
The 349 MPs went on recess starting June 28, 2024, following the completion of budget-related activities. In an interview on a local TV station on Monday, July 22, 2024, MP Robert Mbui mentioned that the primary task for MPs would be to vet Ruto’s Cabinet nominees.
However, Mbui highlighted that MPs have already received warnings from Kenyans against reappointing or reshuffling Ruto’s previous Cabinet nominees.
“We are going into the house and one of the first things that we will be dealing with, because this issue of the Gen Zs is still at the forefront of everything in the country and all politics, and the first thing I think we will be doing is vetting these nominees that the president has given out.
“We have already received warnings, just like when we were debating the Finance Bill – all of us got messages from our constituents and from the youthful generation in Kenya and they were telling us do not support this.
We’ve already started receiving those kind of sentiments telling us that you know we were very clear that we don’t want people to be recycled,” Mbui said.
The Kathiani MP fingered Ruto for mocking the Kenyan youth by re-appointing the same people to Cabinet positions.
“When the president dismissed the Cabinet then it meant that he had shown no confidence in any of them. By giving a list that still has the same individuals, some of whom by the way are part of the reason why they were these revolts by the youth.
“The honourable Professor Kindiki who was CS Interior and is proposed to go back to the same docket was in office when our youth were killed like rabbits in the streets, over 40 of them were killed in just the recent past and these people were unarmed, you know these were people who were walking around with phones, bottles of water to wash their faces when they get teargassed, you know the flag of the republic of Kenya and over 40 of them were killed, innocent souls.
“The only thing they did was to follow the constitution of Kenya 2010 that says you can demonstrate, you can picket, you can present petitions. They came to Parliament to present a petition they were killed like wild animals and the person overseeing that docket comes back again to the same docket, I mean that’s an insult to the youth of Kenya,” Mbui lamented.
Kathiani MP Robert Mbui urged his colleagues in the National Assembly not to repeat past mistakes by simply rubber-stamping President William Ruto’s Cabinet nominees. He called on MPs to critically assess the nominees, considering the current challenges facing Kenyans.
“I believe the Members of Parliament will now start debating with reason and logic, not as we did before recess,” he said.
President Ruto’s recent release of some nominees’ names has sparked public outrage, particularly since six of the nominees are from the previous Cabinet, which he dismissed after sustained street demonstrations.
Gen Z demands a complete overhaul of the Cabinet and will be closely watching to see if MPs heed their call for significant changes or continue to follow Ruto’s lead, as they did with the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
MPs faced backlash from protesters for passing Ruto’s unpopular proposed tax laws in the now-abandoned Finance Bill 2024. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, who chairs the powerful Committee on Appointments responsible for vetting nominees, is expected to inform the House of the individuals nominated for Cabinet positions.
Gen Z, whose continuous protests pressured the President to sack the previous Cabinet, has already threatened nationwide demonstrations this week.
