Makueni Speaker Douglas Mbilu. 
By Andrew Mbuva
The Makueni County Assembly has delivered a split verdict on Governor Mutula's cabinet nominees, approving one candidate while rejecting another over integrity concerns after a rigorous vetting process.
In a report adopted by the Assembly, the Committee on Appointments chaired by Speaker Douglas Mbilu approved the nomination of Irene Nduku Makau as the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Trade, Marketing, Industry, Culture and Tourism.
The committee found Ms. Makau suitable for appointment, citing her more than five years of professional experience, sound understanding of the docket and a clean integrity record. Members also commended her technical competence and recommended that the Governor place her on an annual performance contract to enhance accountability and ensure measurable delivery in the department.
However, the Assembly rejected the nomination of Serah Wayua Nzau for the Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development portfolio after uncovering serious irregularities in her statutory clearance documents.
Although the committee acknowledged that Ms. Nzau demonstrated strong technical knowledge during the vetting exercise, independent verification of her Chapter Six compliance documents revealed multiple discrepancies.
Her Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) tax compliance certificate was found to belong to another individual, while her Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Certificate of Good Conduct lacked the official security features required for authentication.
The committee further established that documents submitted from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) were either incomplete or lacked mandatory electronic verification features, including QR codes.
During the vetting, Ms. Nzau admitted under oath that she had engaged a third party to obtain the statutory clearance documents and only discovered they were fraudulent after questions were raised during the interview.
Although she later submitted genuine documents, the committee ruled that they had been presented outside the legally prescribed timeline and could not be considered.
Consequently, the Assembly rejected her nomination and directed the Governor to submit a fresh nominee for the agriculture docket.
The Assembly also used the occasion to urge the County Executive to address the gender imbalance in the cabinet. Members noted that the current composition stands at seven men and three women, falling short of the constitutional two-thirds gender principle.
They advised the Governor to give greater priority to qualified women in future appointments to ensure compliance with constitutional requirements and promote gender equity in county leadership.
