MPs vet President Ruto's nominees for key diplomatic roles
One of the nominees, former ICT Cabinet Secretary Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u, declined her nomination as Kenya’s ambassador to Ghana.
Three former cabinet secretaries nominated by President William Ruto for key diplomatic roles are being vetted by the National Assembly’s Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee this Friday.
They include former Deputy Inspector General of Police Noor Gabow, who has been picked as Consul-General to Haiti, as well as former Cabinet Secretaries Andrew Karanja, and Ababu Namwamba.
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Another nominee, former ICT Cabinet Secretary Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u, declined her nomination as Kenya’s ambassador to Ghana.
During the vetting, Namwamba, the nominee for Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), stressed his suitability for the UNEP position, stating that he is well-prepared to represent Kenya at the United Nations.
He also revealed that President Ruto had personally explained the responsibilities of the role to him in a meeting at State House, Nairobi before the nominations were made public.
"The President invited me to a sitting to discuss this responsibility before it was made public. I know exactly what he expects of me in this role because he personally explained it to me," Namwamba said.
Namwamba declared his net worth to be Sh500 million. His assets include residential properties, business interests, shareholdings, and pension.
His current net worth has increased by Sh75 million over the past two years. In his previous vetting for the position of Sports Cabinet Secretary, he had declared his net worth as Sh425 million.
"I have two residences in Nairobi and Busia, business interests, shareholdings and pension. That has been compounded to Sh500 million," he said.
However, he did not provide details on his exact dividends but mentioned that his shareholdings are in major companies like Safaricom, Cooperative Bank, and Kenya Power.
"Indeed I have provided a statement that I would expect my income from my holdings. I hold some interest in Safaricom, Coop Bank, and Kenya Power and I have indicated without providing specifics because ordinarily, you would not know the dividends accrued to you in a specific cycle," Namwamba explained.
