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Seme Member of Parliament James Nyikal has opined that there are significant concerns regarding the few changes in the list shared with the National Assembly during their recent proceedings.

Speaking during a session at the National Assembly on July 23, 2024, Nyikal highlighted discrepancies between the list read by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and that which President Ruto previously announced on Friday, July 19, 2024, where 11 nominated individuals were revealed to make up his new Cabinet.

“What the President announced is definitely different from what you (Speaker) have read to us. At that point alone, the public will not really have confidence in what we are doing. Unless the President probably came and made the changes,” Nyikal noted.

Discrepancies in lists

While addressing the house, Nyikal emphasized that the inconsistency would erode public confidence in the National Assembly and the vetting process for the CS nominees. 

Further, Nyikal urged the Speaker to clarify the differences between the two lists to avoid starting the parliamentary process from a compromised position.

“Mr Speaker, you need to clarify why the CS list you’ve read is different from what the president read. Parliament will begin vetting from a weak point on that basis alone. We really need to preserve the integrity of this House,” he added.

Public trust

He reiterated that the Cabinet Secretaries’ dismissal was a response to public pressure after they indicated a significant loss of public trust in the government. 

Further, the MP  stressed the paramount importance of initiating a transparent and doubt-free process to restore public confidence. Nyikal underscored the need to align what the President announced and the information presented to the public to ensure a cohesive and trustworthy governmental approach.

The MP further emphasized the need for the current process of reversing these decisions to be transparent and free of doubt.

“The Cabinet Secretaries were dismissed due to public pressure. Clearly, the public had actually lost confidence in the government. Therefore, the process that is now reversing that, must start in the most transparent way without doubt absolutely,” MP Nyikal noted.