Parliament Reconvenes with Vetting of Ruto's Cabinet Nominees as Top Agenda.

Members of the National Assembly will resume sittings tomorrow after a three-week recess, following the June 25 protests that saw the Parliament building occupied. As they reconvene, legislators will prioritize the vetting of 11 Cabinet nominees named by President William Ruto last Friday. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula disclosed that all 11 nominees will undergo a suitability test.

After being closed for renovations since June 28, the National Assembly will resume activities on Tuesday. As MPs return from the short recess, they will face a full agenda, having kept a low profile since the protest occupation.

The MPs will be in the spotlight as the Committee on Appointments begins vetting President Ruto's first 11 Cabinet nominees. Speaker Wetang'ula stated, "We are waiting for communication from the Executive, and then we will publish the names of nominees and days."

Despite six of the 11 nominees being from the dissolved Cabinet, the Speaker, a long-standing lawyer, maintains they are still eligible to hold public office. "They did not contravene Article 6 of the Constitution," Wetang'ula explained. Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi added, "We will be vetting all of them, and we will be firm."

The Parliamentary Service Commission revealed that the damage to Parliament during the protests amounted to nearly 100 million shillings. Wetang'ula noted, "94 million shillings, but the insurer has taken care of the damages. We are currently fixing TVs and destroyed furniture."

The National Assembly's agenda will also include considering President Ruto's memorandum rejecting the Finance Bill 2024. Members will vote again on this contentious bill, which sparked nationwide protests.

Additionally, the House must quickly finalize the names of a new IEBC selection panel, which must be gazetted by next Tuesday to meet constitutional timelines for reconstituting the electoral body. Wetang'ula said groups mandated to second names to the panel, including the Parliamentary Service Commission, Law Society of Kenya, Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya, Political Parties Liaison Committee, and Inter-Religious Council, are expected to do so by Friday.