PH
Nairobi – MPs rejected the nomination of to be Secretary to the Cabinet Monica Juma because she refused to give them handouts, it has been revealed.
Juma, who is the current Permanent Secretary in the Interior Ministry, was denied nomination into the powerful Secretary to the Cabinet position by MPs Thursday after they voted to have her kicked out of the position despite nomination by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Only 55 MPs voted to have Juma take up the position, with 163 rejecting the proposal.
It has emerged though that the real reason behind her dismissal was the fact that she has been denying MPs funds to use during visits to their constituencies and campaigns.
As Interior CS, Juma has access to funds that are apparently used by the legislators during their sojourns to their constituencies of which she had blocked them from taking.
Juma had written to the clerks of the National Assembly asking MPs not to keep on coming to her office, a move that angered MPs and especially the Committee on National Administration and Security which rejected her nomination to the Cabinet, stating that she had denied MPs access to a public office.
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria acknowledged that MPs had indeed let the country down with their action, stating that they had denied Kenyans the opportunity to have a good leader serve the country.
” It was a letdown to Kenyans having Juma kicked out. She was actually kicked out for doing her job well and in line with the law. That is the truth,” Kuria said of the debacle.
” The truth is that for a long time, the office of the Principal Secretary for Interior has been a cash office for politicians and Juma has stopped that,” he admitted, stating that efforts to have Jubilee MPs support her nomination were futile.
” We told the President in advance that it was going to be hard to have her passed through parliament and so it was,” he added.
Of the 163 that voted not to have Juma nominated, 107 were from the ruling Jubilee coalition.
One of those that did vote for Juma’s nomination was Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo who was disappointed with what took place.
” It is a sad day for Kenyans. I was hoping that the truth would come through but sadly we have seen the opposite. It is very disappointing,” she stated.
Kenyans have started an online petition to salvage Juma’s appointment, the merits of which remain to be seen in the wake of the actions by MPs.
” I am highly disappointed that Parliament has rejected the nomination of an individual whose track record is second to none,” President Kenyatta said of the issue.
