Garissa Township Member of Parliament (MP), Aden Duale, has renewed his calls to President Uhuru Kenyatta, to appoint the Secretary to the Cabinet, saying that time was running out.
Speaking at NEP Girls’ High School, when he issued bursary cheques totaling Sh40 million to primary and secondary schools as well as colleges, Duale said the Assumption of the Office of the President Act no. 21 of 2012, clearly stipulates that the leadership of the constitutional office, is to be headed by the Secretary to the Cabinet.
The Committee is mandated under the provision of Section 6 to facilitate the handing-over process by an outgoing president to the president-elect, the provision of security detail and security briefings to the president-elect among other key functions.
The former National Assembly Majority Leader, regretted that the President has failed to appoint a holder of the office since 2014, noting that it is a matter that should worry all Kenyans since Parliament is set to dissolve in a few weeks’ time.
During his tenure as the Leader of Majority 2014, Duale said the President forwarded the name of Monica Juma to the House for vetting and subsequent approval, however, she was rejected and since then no other name has been brought up.
On May 14th he sought a statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs and further hit out at the Head of Public Service, Joseph Kinyua, who wrote to him last week, stating that he is acting as the Secretary to the Cabinet.
“Your Excellency, you have two months to leave the office. You are going for retirement. Now the chairman for that committee is missing. Unfortunately, the Head of Public Service, Joseph Kinyua, wrote to me the other day, saying that he is Acting as Secretary to the Cabinet. I want to tell him that he should read Article 154 of the Constitution,” Duale said.
“Kinyua has no constitutional mandate to act as the Secretary to the Cabinet,” Duale stated.
The Assumption of Office of the President Act no 21 of 2012, which provides for the procedure and ceremony for the Assumption of Office of the president-elect also establishes and constitutes the Assumption of the Office of the President Committee.
A person nominated to the position of the Secretary to the Cabinet, must be approved by the House in accordance with Article 154 and considering that the Parliament is set to break in less than four weeks.
According to Duale if this is not done, the assumption process for the next president elect may be jeopardized.
