Activist asks court to stop vetting of PS nominees

An activist has moved to court to challenge the list of Principal Secretaries nominated by President William Ruto on November 2.

Fredrick Bikeri wants the court to stop the National Assembly from vetting and approving the nominees on grounds that the list does not reflect nor ensure gender balance, regional and ethnic balance and inclusivity of the marginalised.

“There is no justification whatsoever why the impugned nominations do not depict national representation including, but not limited to, the youth, people with disability, the marginalised, the elderly among others,” he says in court documents.

According to Bikeri, the action of the President nominating people who are seemingly close to him in exclusion of those perceived to be in opposition does not reflect his essence as a symbol of national unity.

“The President ought to apply in total the principles of good governance as enlisted in Article 10 of the Constitution,” he says in court documents.

Illegal list

Through lawyers Danstan Omari, Shadrack Wambui and Paul Macharia, Bikeri notes that the Kisii Community, particularly from Nyamira County, had not been given any slot in the nominations which, he argues, is a clear departure from the principle of inclusivity and good governance.

“The exclusion of at least a Nyamira County representative, the impugned list of nominees leads to ethnic marginalisation, which is unfair labor practices contrary to Article 41 of the Constitution as read together with Section 5 of the Employment Act, 2007,” he says.

He adds: “If this court does not stop this process, the National Assembly will be debating and vetting an illegal list which is unconstitutional and which does not reflect the principles of governance,” he argues.