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{
    "id": 977796,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/977796/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 215,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kiminini, FORD-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Chris Wamalwa",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1889,
        "legal_name": "Chrisantus Wamalwa Wakhungu",
        "slug": "chrisantus-wamalwa-wakhungu"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to support. First and foremost, I want to thank the Committee on Appointments which you Chair for the work well done. I support the two nominees for appointment as CSs starting with Senator Mutahi Kagwe who I personally know. I have no doubt that he fits the job. The Ministry of Health has many problems and there is a lot of mess particularly on matters of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the medical equipment hiring scheme. Hon. Mutahi Kagwe is a person I have known for some time. He has the skills of being a legislator and this adds a lot of value when a legislator becomes a CS. That is why we are praying that in the new Parliament we shall have CSs coming on the Floor of the House. If we are not going back to the parliamentary system maybe we can have a hybrid system. Hon. Mutahi Kagwe was a Minister under the Kibaki Government in charge of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). During that time fiber optic was installed in this country and he is the one who oversaw that exercise. Right now, almost the entire country is covered when it comes to technology. Hon. Mutahi Kagwe under the Kibaki Government was one of the active Ministers. We know very well that we will remember Mzee Kibaki because during his time the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of this country grew at a very high rate. From the former regime where it was negative to 7 per cent. I have no doubt that the role Hon. Mutahi Kagwe played was very critical. He is very suitable for this position. Right now, when it comes to the matters health, we know it is devolved. We know the Senate is there to oversee matters of the counties. Some of us were shocked because of the transfer of powers from the County Government of Nairobi to the national Government. We have talked so much about public participation and we do not know whether it was done. We do not even know how the oversight role will be done. Now, that Hon. Mutahi Kagwe is coming in and having worked at the Senate, I think he has what it takes to operationalise the Ministry of Health for the smooth running of Nairobi County. Coming to Betty Maina, before she was a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM). She became a Principal Secretary and right now she has risen to become the CS. Betty Maina is a lady I closely worked with in my former Committee in the last Parliament. She has very good interpersonal skills and has risen through the ranks from a PS in a department of that Ministry and now she has been promoted to become the CS. I have no doubt she will make it. So, the two nominees have what it takes. But, when you look at the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval Act) that is in place, I think we should amend it. We have issues when it comes to academic qualifications. When you go to the Member of the County Executive Committee (CEC) at the county level they are required to possess a degree but when it comes to the national level it is not a requirement for a CS to possess a degree. I think it is high time, as we move forward, we amended so that in future a Cabinet Secretary, just like a CEC at the county level, should have minimum academic qualification of at least a degree as we move forward. There is no way we can force the CECs at the county level to be graduates, but fail to do so at national level. As a matter of fact, directors should have a master’s degree but when it comes to the Cabinet at the national level, there is no threshold when it comes to academics. So, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}