NAIROBI, Kenya, May 20 — The National Assembly Committee on Defense, Intelligence and Foreign Relations has invited public memoranda on the suitability of Noordin Haji for appointment as the Director General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
President William Ruto nominated Haji, presently serving as Director of Public Prosecutions, to succeed Major-General (Rtd) Philip Wachira Kameru who has held the position for over 8 years.
The nomination under Article 118 (1) (b) of the Constitution requires public participation facilitated by Parliament.
Section 6 (9) of the Parliamentary Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, 2011 provides that “any person may prior to the approval hearing and by written statement on oath, provide the Clerk with evidence contesting the suitability of a candidate to hold the office to which the candidate has been nominated”.
House Clerk Samuel Njoroge said petitions will be presented “by way of written statements on oath (affidavits) with supporting evidence contesting the suitability of the nominee for appointment as the Director-General, National Intelligence Service.”
May 29 deadline
According to the notice published on Saturday, the memoranda may be forwarded to the Clerk of the National Assembly or emailed to [email protected] to be received on or before Monday, May 29, 2023 at 5pm.
Njoroge confirmed that the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations of the National Assembly shall conduct the vetting of Haji on May 30, 2023 in the Mini-Chamber, County Hall, Parliament Buildings.
The Clerk of the National Assembly directed Haji to appear for the approval hearing with the original identity card, academic and professional certificates, and other relevant testimonials.
Haji is also required to obtain letters/certificates of compliance from institutions including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Kenya Revenue Authority, Higher Education Loans Board, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
If confirmed, Haji will be returning to the NIS after a six-year sojourn as the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Before becoming the nation’s top public prosecutor, Haji served as the Deputy Director of the Counter Organized Crime Unit in the NIS.
The outgoing NIS chief, Kameru, was appointed Director-General in September 2014 after an illustrious military career; having risen through the ranks to the position of Director of Military Intelligence in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
Haji holds the Bachelor of Laws (LL. B) and Master of Laws (LL.M) degrees from the University of Wales, Cardiff.
Additionally, he holds a second Masters Degree in National Security Policy with Merit (MNSPO) from the Australian National University.
Haji was admitted to the Bar in 1999, and thereafter joined the Public Service in January 2000 as a State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Office.
