PM Odinga rejects police commission nominees

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Amina Masoud during interviews to select members of the National Police Service Commission in Nairobi February 15, 2012. Prime Minister Raila Odinga rejected Ms Masoud nomination to head the NPSC March 8, 2012. FILE 

By FRED MUKINDA
Posted  Thursday, March 8  2012 at  19:05

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has disowned the nomination of Amina Masoud to head the National Police Service Commission.

In a statement, Mr Odinga said he was not consulted by President Kibaki as required by law before Ms Masoud and five other NPSC members were picked by the Head of State.

“This is to inform the general public that the nominations Announced today by the office of the president for the chair and members of the national Police Service Commission have been made without consultations with the Prime Minister,” said the PM in a statement signed by an aide Caroli Omondi Thursday.

Mr Odinga is in Brussels, Belgium on official duty.

On Thursday, President Kibaki nominated Ms Masoud as chairman of the commission that shall vet, hire, fire, discipline and transfer police officers.

He also named Esther Chui- Colombini, Ronald L Musengi, James A Atema, Dr Major Muiu Shadrack Mutia and Ms Mary Auma Owuor as members.

But in a rejoinder, Mr Odinga termed the nominations "unconstitutional and therefore null and void as such".

"Such consultation is mandatory under the Constitution, the National Accord and the National Police Service Commission Act. There have been no such consultations between the two principals. The nominations are unconstitutional and therefore null and void as such," said the PM.

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Under the law, Parliament is required to consider the names within 21 days and approve or reject them. The House will request for new nominees in the event of the latter.

Speaker Kenneth Marende directed Thursday that the names be forwarded to the parliamentary committee on Administration and National Security for consideration together with accompanying CVs.

Ms Masoud was among a list of three names that was forwarded to President Kibaki and Mr Odinga by the panel that was mandated to set up the team that will spearhead police reforms in the country.

The others were Johnstone Kavuludi, a former civil servant, and Murshid Mohamed.