Give us bold ruling, group urges Marende

By Ally Jamah
Ahead of Tuesday’s House ruling on the controversial nominations by President Kibaki, civil society leaders want Speaker Kenneth Marende to reject the list.
They urged Mr Marende to send the list of nominees to key Judiciary offices back to State House for a ‘competitive hiring process’.
They want the positions advertised and transparent selection done.
Leaders of the National Civil Society Congress (NCSC) dared Marende not to bow to what they termed as ‘political machination’ and be ‘bold’ to advise for a competitive selection process.
"Regardless of the ongoing hearings by Parliamentary committees, we urge the Speaker to be bold and ask the President and Prime Minister to advertise the jobs," said NCSC President Maurice Odhiambo.
He said such a move would be a plus in implementation of the Constitution.
The leaders insisted President Kibaki’s appointments were unconstitutional and should not see the light of day at the floor of the House.
"If something is illegal, people (MPs) can’t vote on it to make it legal. This is an issue of principle and not the number of votes that can be marshalled," added Odhiambo.
Tomorrow’s rulingProf Kavetsa Adagala said Marende shouldn’t allow Kibaki to get away with his disregard for gender equity in public appointments.
"The Constitution is very clear: No one gender can have more than two-thirds of State appointments, yet none of the four nominees is a woman," she said.
Marende is expected to make the ruling tomorrow on whether Kibaki’s nominees will be put through a vote in Parliament or be sent back. This will be after receiving reports from House committees on Justice and Finance.
On Thursday, Marende hinted that the court ruling declaring the nominations illegal could have a bearing on his tomorrow’s ruling. He told the House although there was separation of powers between Parliament and the Judiciary, the decision by the court was binding to the nation.
The activists also urged the appointees to the four posts of Attorney General, Chief Justice, Director of Public Prosecutions and Controller of Budget to decline the offers and apply for them when ‘the process is made open and democratic’ for the sake of their integrity.
NCSC announced plans to launch a countrywide civic education about the Constitution ahead of the 2012 elections, saying the majority of Kenyans are yet to form a clear idea about the document.
"We are asking the Government to ensure enough copies of the Constitution are available. Every Kenyan at the age of 15 and above must get two copies in Kiswahili and English," said Odhiambo.