Parliament has rejected the list of nominees to the Police Service Commission.

President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga will now have to come up with a new list of nominees to be presented to the House for scrutiny.

The Parliamentary Committee on National Security Chairman Fred Kapondi however wanted Parliament to adopt a report it had tabled in the House on the list of nominees.

The nomination of the team was earlier shrouded in controversy after Raila disowned the list claiming he was not consulted.

Civil society groups challenged the matter claiming none of the nominees was qualified to be appointed as outlined in the Constitution.

On Tuesday, Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo claimed that some people were re-interviewed so that they could make it into the list.

He further claimed that the President’s list was not the one that was presented to Parliament. “It is criminal, if the President can append a signature on a list and then a civil servant changes it and brings it to the House,” he added.

Midiwo promised that Parliament will approve a new list very fast if the nominees merit. “The police is central to reforms. We have had issues in the last elections and that is why we want to reform the police,” he said.

Contention

Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba said the decision Parliament makes on the matter would go a long way in reforming the police. “Why go resuscitate and attempt to re-interview and go further and ask the President to consider them?” added Ababu.

In May, Parliament rejected Kibaki’s nomination of Amina Masoud to head the National Police Service Commission.

In their report, which was tabled in the House on Tuesday, the Committee proposed three new persons for the President’s consideration.

The Committee said Masoud, a former teacher in Lamu and a public relations practitioner was not an appropriate candidate as she lacked the requisite legal expertise.

The Committee wanted MPs to support its choice of one time FIDA Executive Director Jean Njeri Kamau, former Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission Commissioner Murshid Mohamed and Johnston Kavuludi.

The team also recommended the nomination of Esther Chui-Colombini, Ronald Musengi, James Atemi, Muia Mutia and Mary Auma Owuor to serve as commissioners.

— Stories by Allan KIsia and Peter Opiyo – The Standard