CS nominees Ruku, Cheptumo to face parliamentary vetting panel

Cabinet Secretary nominees Geoffrey Ruku and Hanna Cheptumo are set to appear before the parliamentary vetting committee today.

Ruku and Cheptumo, nominated as Cabinet Secretaries, are set to appear before the Parliamentary Committee on Appointments today. The panel, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, will assess their suitability for the roles.

Ruku, the current Mbeere North MP since August 2022, has been nominated to head the Public Service, Human Capital Development, and Special Programmes docket. If approved, he will become the fourth person to hold the position in under three years, following Aisha Jumwa, Moses Kuria, and Justin Muturi.

Cheptumo, widow of former Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, has been nominated to lead the Ministry of Gender, Culture, Arts, and Heritage - a post that has remained vacant since Parliament rejected Stella Langat’s nomination in August last year.

Ruku is expected to replace Justin Muturi, who was recently sacked by President William Ruto after turning into a vocal critic of the administration. Muturi had accused the government of involvement in the abduction of dissenting youths.

"If their goal was to silence me, then they have dialed the wrong number,” said Muturi following his dismissal. “I will continue speaking out against abductions and extrajudicial killings despite being removed from cabinet.”.

Ruku came to the national limelight when he sponsored the Assemblies and Demonstrations Bill 2024 that sought to bar protests on highways and other public spaces, claiming they disrupt public order, which caused a national outcry with claims of a plot to stifle freedom of expression.

Political leaders and activists warned that the Bill, coming at the time the State was said to be running a killer squad, was part of attempts to stifle the right to protest and silence government critics with the bill intending to give the Interior Cabinet Secretary sweeping powers to control demonstrations.

Ruku, who hails from the same constituency as Muturi, was elected on a Democratic Party ticket where the former Cabinet Secretary served as Party Leader before he was appointed as Attorney General by Ruto when he named his Cabinet after being elected as President.

"I thank President William Ruto for his trust and for nominating me as the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes. I will be honoured to serve the people of Kenya diligently and judiciously in the capacity appointed, " said Ruku.

By naming Mrs Cheptumo as Gender Cabinet Secretary Nominee, Ruto will be acceding to requests by Baringo County residents who have sought to be represented in Cabinet since former Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui was dropped in July last year.

 The Gender Cabinet Secretary Nominee is an Advocate by profession and has been running a law firm established by her late husband, who was a close ally of the President and served as Baringo North MP for three terms before being elected Baringo Senator in August 2022.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has been serving as the acting Gender Cabinet Secretary in addition to his Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary role. If the nominee is approved, it will ease his workload.

The Wetangula-led committee submitted a report to Parliament in August last year, recommending the rejection of Stella Langat. She was found to lack sufficient knowledge of key issues related to the position.

"Pursuant to sections of 6 (7), 6 (8), and 7 of the Public Appointments Act, the committee observed that Stella Langat failed to demonstrate adequate knowledge of topical, administrative, and technical issues relevant to the role,” stated the report.

Once the current vetting process concludes, the committee will draft a report on the nominees' suitability for submission to the National Assembly. If approved, the President will be notified, and the nominees will be sworn into office.