By JULIUS MBALUTO

President Uhuru Kenyatta has nominated CS Monica Juma for the highly contested position of Secretary General of the Commonwealth in London.

The nominations are ongoing as the incumbent Patricia Scotland elected in 2016 is leaving. Although she is eligible for two terms, her request to vie for the second time was rejected over complaints in the running of the Secretariat.

Commonwealth covers 54 countries which are former colonies of Great Britain, heads of governments vote and the candidate with more votes wins.

CS Monica Juma’s candidature puts her as the seventh person and second woman to hold the office in case she wins. If she succeeds, she will have to leave her current job. Speaking after the nominations, President Uhuru said:

“It is my hope that the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit (CHOGM) will consider this nomination favourably. I have no doubt that Amb. Monica Juma will be a strong consensus candidate, who will deliver an effective secretariat driven by member state priorities.”

Monica Juma is the current Defence Cabinet Secretary in Kenya. She has served as the Principal Secretary within security departments. She has also served as Foreign affairs CS with a portfolio of successful campaigns within the UN Security Council.