Six of the President William Ruto’s nominees have a combined networth of Sh1.53 billion, it emerged during the two-day approval hearings.
The amount could be higher given that two nominees did not disclose their net worth.
The two are, former vice Chief of Defence Forces Lt General Jonah Mwangi and ex-LSK vice chairperson Caroline Kamende Daudi (Ottawa, Canada)
National Assembly’s Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee has been vetting the nominees, some who were former politicians, to ascertain their suitabilities to represent Kenya in various countries.
From the session, former Kisii Deputy Governor Joash Maangi emerged the richest with personal net worth of Sh693 million.
Maangi attributed the millions to his vast business empire that rakes in between Sh800 to Sh900 million every month.
The networth, he told the committee chaired by Belgut MP Nelson Koech, is also made up of residential houses in Kisii, Nairobi and United States where part of his family lives.
Former Kisumu Senator Fred Outa came second with an estimated networth of Sh280 million.
Outa who served as senator in the last Parliament, has been nominated as the country’s representative to Cairo, Egypt.
“I want to thank God, I know what my networth is but I am proud of myself. My networth is roughly about 280 million,” Outa said.
Presenting himself as a rice farmer, the ex-lawmaker moved the vetting panel with his humble upbringing from being orphaned at very young age and destiny connecting him with a American missionary who took him to the States where he resumed classes.
“I am a real hustler; I lost my mother at a very tender age and lived with my father who decided not to remarry as is the norm in that area. Then a missionary took me to US and I bridged what I lost to be able to qualify for University Education,” Outa said.
“I pursued my college in New York and I specialised in Health Management.”
Catherine Kirumba nominated as Kenya’s representative to London, United Kingdom is third with an estimated wealth of Sh250 million.
Former Kenya Army Commander Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Peter Mbogo Njiru told the committee that he has a networth of Sh150 million.
The one-time retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s aide-camp has been nominated to represent the country in Isalamabad, Pakistan.
University don Prof Anne Kisaka Nangulu, Ruto’s nominee to Dakar, Senegal, told the committee that she is worth Sh105 million.
The former Moi university Professor promised to use her position— if considered—to woo the Francophone countries in supporting Kenya’s candidate for the African Union Commission chairman.
She said Kenya’s bid to have Amina Mohammed win the chairmanship flopped because there was no footprint in the 26 Francophone countries.
“I will use Dakar to make penetration in Western Africa. Raila is not a new name so we are going to leverage on that,” she said.
Wrapping the list is former West Pokot Woman Representative Lilian Tomitom who said she has a networth of Sh60 million.
The former lawmaker has been nominated as the country’s ambassador in Lusaka, Zambia.
State officers are required by the Public Officers Ethics Act to declare their wealth before resuming office and once every two years.
Section 26 of the Act requires such a declaration to include income, assets and liabilities of state officer, his spouse or spouses.
Such a person's dependent children under the age of 18 years are also declared in efforts to allow the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to detect and prevent corruption when top public servants are serving in office.
The declaration is among those that Parliament checks before approving a nominee for public office.