National Assembly has approved all 27 President Ruto’s nominees for ambassadors and heads of missions after vetting.

MPs nod now set the ball rolling for their appointment before being dispatched to the different designated envoys.

The Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations tabled the report on their suitability for the job following the conclusion on vetting of ambassadorial nominees.

Belgut MP Nelson Koech who chairs the committee while moving the motion for ambassadorial nominee approval mentioned they had received memorandum from one Karanja Mutindi contesting the approval of the 27 nominees.

Mutindi argued that the SRC had not set remuneration and benefit payable to the persons holding the office of the High Commissioner, Ambassador and Diplomatic Consular representatives hence opposing their approval.

He further asserted in the absence of the remuneration and benefit, any recommendation for appointment will violate the Constitution.

“However, the committee observed that the memorandum addresses a totally different matter that touches on the mandate of the SRC and is not in any way addressing the fundamental role of the National Assembly of conducting approval hearings,” Koech said.

The Belgut MP had also received a memo to oppose nomination of George Macgoye to Djibouti who was mentioned in a matter involving a large irregular payment of legal fees by Kenya Maritime Authority.

The Defence and Foreign relation observed that Macgoye was under investigation by EACC which by law has no power to declare anyone guilty.

“It is important to advise the EACC that as much they have a constitutional mandate to investigate matters touching on corruption, it is not wise to write letters and say “so and so has been mentioned on a matter that we are investigating,” said Ichungwah.

The list of nominees who have been approved will fill ambassadorial roles in South Africa, India, Rwanda, Botswana, Malaysia, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others.

The Defence Committee interrogated the nominees on their academic qualifications and professional competence for the job, as well as their individual knowledge of the different destinations they have been nominated to for appointment.

The Committee also ascertained the nominees clearance by the relevant institutions; including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) and Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.

Members sought to know from the nominees any public offices they had previously held and also asked them to declare their wealth and net worth, including deferred income and outside commitments and tax status. By Irene Mwangi, Capital News