National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has referred nominees for Principal Secretary positions to House committees for vetting.
Wetang’ula officially notified the House and the general public of President William Ruto’s nominees for appointment as PSs in a notification issued on, March 26, 2025.
The Speaker informed MPs of a message from the President seeking parliamentary approval for the nominees.
Ruto nominated 14 individuals for appointment as PSs.
In accordance with the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, Cap 7F, and the resolution passed by the House on February 13, 2025, Wetang’ula directed Clerk of the National Assembly, Samuel Njoroge to transmit the notification to all MPs who are on short recess, and facilitate the committees in conducting the necessary approval hearings.
The respective committees are expected to commence the approval process once the National Assembly resumes from recess and table their reports on or before April 22, 2025.
The vetting exercise of the 14 nominees will be conducted by 12 House committees.
They include the Administration and Internal Security Committee; the Communication, Information and Innovation Committee; the Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee; the Education Committee; the Finance and National Planning Committee; the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee; the Labour Committee; the Health Committee; the Regional Development Committee; the Social Protection Committee; the Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Committee; and the Transport and Infrastructure Committee.
During the week, it emerged that the National Assembly passed seven Bills in the February – March 2025 period.
Among the bills that sailed through the third reading is the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill (National Assembly Bill No.2 of 2025), which provides a framework for additional funds to county governments, ensuring enhanced service delivery at the grassroots level.
During the same period, nine new bills were introduced and referred to relevant committees for public participation.
These include the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill which seeks to improve road safety, and the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating of Terrorism Financing Laws (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to strengthen Kenya’s financial system against illicit activities.
Further, Wetang’ula directed that the consideration of the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (National Assembly Bill No. 7 of 2025) be fast tracked.
In a notification issued to MPs, Wetang’ula announced that the Bill, which seeks to amend the Excise Duty Act to remove excise duty on imported fully assembled electric transformers, has matured for its First Reading.
A House resolution passed on February 13, 2025, allows the speaker to refer priority bills to relevant committees even during the short or long recess.
The Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2025, (National Assembly Bill No. 7 of 2025), has been referred to the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning for immediate consideration.
The Leader of Majority Kimani Ichung’wah had requested that the Bill be prioritised upon resumption of the House on April 1, 2025, a request that the Speaker granted.
If passed, the Bill is expected to enhance investment in the power sector by lowering costs associated with importing electric transformers, a critical component for electricity distribution.
