Aden Duale, the Leader of Majority in the National Assembly. [Photo/the-star.co.ke]

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The National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale has revealed that the six cabinet secretaries who retained their portfolio in yesterday’s appointments by President Kenyatta’s will not be vetted.

The six who include Dr. Fred Matiang’i (Interior), Charles Keter (Energy), Joe Mucheru (ICT), Najib Balala (Tourism), Henry Rotich (Treasury) and James Macharia (Infrastructure) were retained as 13 of their colleagues dropped when the head of state named half of his cabinet.

Duale said, according to parliamentary act on public appointments of 2011 and looking to other international jurisdictions like that of the US where President Obama retained defence Secretary from the Bush administration does not require a fresh vetting.

“In 2012 when Obama was re-elected for the second term, more than five of his cabinet were reappointed and never went through a fresh vetting. In our case because the six had undergone vetting once and are still holding the same portfolio they will not be vetted,” he said.

New entries in the cabinet are former Marsabit Governor Ukur Yattani, former Turkana County Senator John Munyes and DPP Keriako Tobiko who has since resigned from the post.

Addressing journalist at his residence, Duale said only the fresh CS nominees and the appointment of Lawrence Lenayapa as ambassador to the Netherlands will be vetted in a process expected to commence probably from next week by the relevant parliamentary committees.

Duale clarified that the parliament will not be recalled for ‘mere reading of the names of the new appointees’.

“Parliament in the last session passed a motion exempting the speaker from recalling the house for merely reading and conveying the President’s message to the house and sending the names to the respective committees,” Duale said.

He said the committee on appointments will vet the cabinet secretaries whereas committee on defence and foreign relations will vet diplomatic appointments starting with that of Lenayapa.