National assembly speaker Justin Muturi yesterday said that only seven nominees joining the cabinet for the first time and 24 new principal secretaries will be vetted by parliament.

Muturi argued that the constitution allowed the presidency to re-assign state officers without MPs approval.

“The interpretation is that a person vetted and approved for appointment to the position of Cabinet Secretary or Principal Secretary may be reassigned within the same position by the president; consequently serving as Cabinet and Principal Secretaries who have been moved to other ministries or state departments will not require further approval of the House,”Muturi said.

New appointees in the latest Cabinet reshuffle who will face vetting include former Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri (Devolution and Planning), Kericho Senator Charles Keter (Energy), MP Dan Kazungu, (Mining), and Joseph Mucheru (ICT), Willy Bett (Agriculture), Dr. Cleophas Mailu (Health) and Sicily Kariuki (Public Service).

Balala (Tourism, Kaimenyi (Lands) and Mating’i (Education) will not be vetted afresh.

Majority Leader Adan Duale said that the vetting will commence on December 11.

“The Speaker will read out the names today; thereafter there will be seven days for public participation before physical vetting begins.”

The National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee had sought to have sitting Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and other appointees of the President vetted afresh any time there is a reshuffle or transfer in order “to allow for the fresh vetting of persons previously vetted when they seek reappointment to the same or another public office,”.

“Public officers are vetted by the House to determine their suitability to specific positions and, as such, fresh vetting is necessary to determine whether the House approves of a reappointment or redeployment of such an officer,” the committee had said in the report.