Some Meru leaders, led by Meru County Assembly speaker Ayub Bundi, have defended embattled Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mithika Linturi against the impeachment motion tabled before the National Assembly.
They dismissed the impeachment motion against the CS as malicious and ill-advised, and downplayed the accusations against him, stating that he was not involved in manufacturing and distributing the fake fertilizer.
CS Mithika Linturi during a past media presser
They subsequently called on President William Ruto to stand with the embattled CS ahead of his hearing before the 11-member committee established to investigate his conduct. The leaders also urged the government to investigate the matter to shed light on the saga.
Meanwhile, the 11-member House Committee set up to investigate the conduct of the CS began its hearing today. The committee has ten days to investigate and present its findings to the National Assembly, which will decide whether the CS’s impeachment will be rejected or upheld.
“Sisi tunaomba his Excellency William Ruto, vile sisi tulishikana tukasimama na wewe na watu wa Rift Valley na tukataka kiti iende Rift Valley, pia tafadhali tunakuomba, msimame na sisi wakati tuko na shida, kijana yetu waziri Mithika Linturi ataulizwa swali ndogo ama kubwa.
Agriculture CS Hon Mithika Linturi
“Tunasema Linturi si yeye alitengeneza fertilizer, wala si yeye ali supply fertilizer, si yeye mwenye aliuza, serikali ifanye uchunguzi. Itakua nani aliileta, nani aliiba na ili dhibitishwa na nani,” Bundi said.
The parliament approved the impeachment motion against the CS after Members of Parliament (MPs) voted in favor of it. Out of the 188 MPs who voted, 149 supported the motion to have Linturi impeached over the recent fertilizer scandal that grabbed headlines. Thirty-six opposed the motion, whereas three abstained from the proceedings.
For the motion to proceed, it must be supported by at least one-third of the National Assembly members. The motion cited Linturi’s approval of the procurement and distribution of fake fertilizer by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) and the signing of an agency agreement for the supply and distribution of GPC diatomaceous, which was misrepresented as chemical fertilizer.
