Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi has been implicated in a fake fertilizer scandal. This follows the emergence of reports that Devesh Patel, the Chief Operations Officer of Kel Chemicals, alleged that Linturi tried to force him to admit that the phony fertilizer product was his.
According to an expose by Cyprian Nyakundi on X, Patel, whose company was forced to supply fertilizer to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), wrote to DCI boss Mohamed Amin to expose the scandal. Lawyers Dennis Mosota and Ahmedinasir Abdullahi are representing the company.
President William Ruto taking questions from reporters
The lawyers’ letter highlights attempts by Linturi and Joseph Kimote, the Managing Director of NCPB, to distort the account of what transpired and to incriminate Kel Chemicals. Patel received calls from Kimote and others, pressuring him to prepare a letter following the recall of 3,000 bags of fertilizer.
On 7th April 2024, while at the company’s plant in Thika for the seizure of the goods by DCI, Patel received more than 30 calls within an hour, emphasizing the need for him to attend a press release at Jacaranda Hotel. Patel declined to appear at the hotel, which resulted in a hastily planned inspection by Linturi on 12th April 2024 at the plant in Thika.
Pres Ruto taking questions during a past event
Linturi subsequently issued orders closing the factory and declaring it a crime scene. The lawyers annexed copies of the call logs generated from Patel’s mobile phone in support of the information.
Patel appeared before the National Assembly’s Agriculture Committee, dragging the names of senior government officials into the scandal. He alleged that he was arrested and detained at a police station after a meeting with the senior public servants ended prematurely.
CS Mithika Linturi gestures during a past media presser
Patel further alleged that he was coerced into writing a letter admitting that they had produced and distributed fake fertilizer while in police detention. The damning allegations from Patel come barely a week after Kel Chemical’s factory was inspected and later closed by Linturi over alleged involvement in the fake fertilizer scandal.
