Vetting of Principal Secretary (PS) nominees began Monday, November 14, with four National Assembly committees conducting the exercise.
The 51 nominees will be vetted by the departmental committees, which will then table their findings before parliament for approval.
Some of the nominees who appeared before MPs on the first day of screening were Julius Korir, Chris Kiptoo, James Muhati, Raymond Omollo, Julius Bitok and Peter Tum.
Here is how they defended their net worth.
Dr Julius Korir: Cabinet Affairs Nominee
Cabinet Affairs nominee Julius Korir appeared before the National Assembly Administration and Internal Affairs and declared his wealth at Ksh 206 million, comprising of houses, rental property, his salary and dairy farming.
Korir served in various state departments including the Ministries of Health industrialization and Devolution.
He is currently the PS for Devolution and if approved he will work in the office of the Deputy President under the newly created department.
Chris Kiptoo: Treasury PS Nominee
National Treasury Principal Secretary nominee Chris Kiptoo declared that he is worth Ksh 338 million.
Kiptoo who appeared before the National Assembly Finance Committee stated that the accrued wealth is from immovable assets which include land and houses.
“I have two houses one which I bought while working at the Central Bank Of Kenya and the other I bought while working as the Principal Secretary for Trade and Environment. I have also bought parcels of land back at home,” he stated.
He is currently the PS for Environment, having been re-assigned from the Trade Ministry by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kiptoo is also among those retained in President Ruto’s administration having served as the PS for the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
He had a career spanning 15 years at the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) as a manager during which he was seconded to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Had a stint at the Capital Markets Authority of Kenya (CMA) as Senior advisor and manager of special projects and served the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Kenya as economic adviser to then Prime Minister, Raila Odinga.
Kiptoo also had a short stint at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).
The vetting of the nominees will run to Friday, November 18, before reports are tabled in parliament for approval and subsequent appointment by the President.
Ruto, however, is facing a legal hurdle after a petition was filed in court, challenging the recruitment process.
Below are other PS nominees and their net worth:
Raymond Omollo: Principal Secretary nominee for Interior
Principal Secretary nominee for interior Raymond Omollo says his net worth is Sh450 million.
He stated that his wealth comprises of pieces of land in various counties including Homabay, Kajiado Machakos and Nairobi, properties, shares, Money Market Fund savings, farming and mining.
If approved, Omollo will be working under Professor Kindiki Kithure who is the Cabinet Secretary Interior and Administration of the National Government.
He is currently the Managing Director at the Lake Basin Authority.
James Muhati: Economic Planning PS Nominee
The Principal Secretary Nominee for Economic Planning James Muhati is worth Sh140 Million.
Muhati, former IEBC ICT director defended his net worth saying it was well accrued from his 15-year work experience.
“When I left IEBC I was paid my gratuity which I used to buy houses and I also have a Sh 13M loans which I was given on a 4 per cent interest by the National Housing Corporation,” he stated.
He has previously served as the chief executive officer of Huduma Kenya having exited IEBC in 2020.
The ICT expert was at loggerheads with NASA leaders after the 2017 polls after they accused him and ex-CEO Ezra Chiloba of bungling the presidential elections.
If approved, Muhati will be expected to evaluate economic trends in President William Ruto’s administration through the management of national statistics and carry out surveys on critical issues in the country.
