The Parliamentary Committee on Appointments chaired by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, on Monday October 17, 2022 vetted five CS nominees among them Dr. Alfred Nganga Mutua.
The committee had membership of Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss, Leader of Majority Kimani Ichungwa (MP Kikuyu) and Leader of minority Opiyo Wandayi (MP Uguja).
Article 132(2) of the Constitution empowers the President to nominate and, with approval of the national assembly appoint Cabinet Secretaries in accordance with article 152
It is against this background that the President nominated Dr Mutua, as the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs
Wetang’ula jnformed Dr. Mutua that his committee was not adversarial, adding that they would engage him in a conversation to assess his suitability to occupy the office for which he was nominated.
“These members will ask you questions, we expect short precise questions that will elicit equally short precise answers, without being personal and we don’t want exchange between honourable members,” guided the Speaker.
Dr Mutua thanked the Chairman and the committee saying he was honoured to have been considered for such an important process in Kenya’s democracy.
He narrated that his story was that of poverty reiterating that he tells people he is a walking miracle, saying his parents were not wealthy as they were low cadre public servants.
“I grew up in Kibra at Makina Estate, where as a child I would fight with rats to use the toilet in the estate houses,” narrated Mutua, further saying they later moved to Kawangware at Riruta Satellite where they lived in a wooden-shark until he was 21 years old.
“When I was in form two, school fees ran out and I stopped going to school because we could not afford,” said Mutua tagging hope in God saying because he taught Sunday school, God got favour for him where a church elder, the late Ezra Waithaka paid for his school fees which enabled him go back to school.
“In between that time when I was out of school, I pushed a lot of wheelbarrows and did some mjengo (construction) work to keep on going,” Mutua explained.
Luck came his way when later on missionaries came and they were impressed by his performance, a young boy who was a strong Christian teaching Sunday school and who when they went back to the United States they wrote back to him and gave him a scholarship to go and study.
After he finished form six, he went to the United States and studied there for seven years where he did a bachelors and a masters and came back to Kenya where he taught at a Local University and also worked at several media houses.
Mutua again went on a scholarship to Australia for his doctorate in 1998 where four years later at the age 32 he graduated with PhD in Communication and Media.
The former Machakos Governor was head hunted and went back to the United Arab Emirates as an Assistant Professor of Communication and Media undertaking a lot of research in the Middle East and as a proficient writer wrote a column called Msafiri and other columns for the Sunday Nation.
He was head hunted again and came to Kenya where he was interviewed and became the first Government Spokesperson at the age of 33 in the government of the late president Mwai Kibaki.
Ten years later after promulgation of the new constitution he went to Machakos where he was elected and served for two terms as Governor.
His mantra says that he is a simple man who believes that the essence of leadership is to make the life of others better.
He confessed he is a lucky one among many to be where he is today saying his aspirations in life is to be able to uplift others who are not as lucky as he is and to make their life better bringing a sense of fairness that hard work is also repaid by success in life.
“Najivunia Kuwa Mkenya (I am proud to be a Kenyan)” Governor Mutua concluded his brief about self before the Parliamentary Committee. This was a running slogan during his tenure as Government Spokesperson.
Other Parliamentary Committee on Appointments members included Junet Mohamed MP Suna East, Owen Baya MP Kilifi North, Robert Mbui MP Kathiani, Rahab Mukami County MP Nyeri, Ferdinand Wanyonyi MP Kwanza, George Gitonga Murugara MP Tharaka, and David Pkosin MP Pokot South.
In the team also were Abdul Dawood MP North Imenti, Mishi Mboko MP Likoni, Nelson Koech MP Belgut, Caleb Khamisi MP Saboti, Dido Raso MP Saku, Abdi Shuriye MP Mbalambala, Mary Emase MP Teso South, Stephen Mule MP Matungulu, David Gikaria MP Nakuru East Constituency, and Naisula Lesuuda MP Samburu West.
Present during the vetting exercise of the Presidential nominees included the Ag. Clerk of National Assembly Sarah Kioko, MS Florence Abonyo Director Parliamentary Appropriation Audit and adhoc committee, deputy director legal services Mr Michael Karuru among other parliamentary staff helping in management of the meetings.
