The Kenya Human Rights Commission has petitioned the High Court to revoke the appointments of the 19 cabinet secretaries citing integrity issues and lack of proper vetting.
The commission and Wanjiru Gikonyo are asking the court to issue an order directing the President to initiate a fresh appointment process that complies with the constitution.
They argue concerns raised by the ethics and anti-corruption commission on some of the nominees were ignored which makes the appointments unconstitutional.
In their papers, the two state that CS Wycliffe Oparanya should not have been considered for nomination, vetting and appointment by the President and the National Assembly in light of integrity issues raised against him by the EACC.
“It therefore undermines the intent, morality, and ethics of Chapter 6 if individuals with unresolved concerns who the Ethics and AntiCorruption Commission has not yet cleared are appointed to public office,” they said.
The duo contend that public participation was not adhered to in the process leading to the CSs appointments.
They argue that the criteria for selecting candidates were not provided to the public beforehand, leaving the public unaware of the factors that guided the decisions of the national assembly’s appointment committee.
“Despite the vetting process having been initiated by the National Assembly, the parameters for selecting candidates were not made available to the public in advance,” read their documents in part.
Based on this, Wanjiru argues that the public didn’t have insight into the criteria that were to inform the decisions of the appointments committee.
In regards to the lack of proper vetting, the duo state that it is a crucial element in that it ensures individuals appointed to significant positions such as the CSs meet the necessary qualifications, integrity standards and legal requirements.
