President William Ruto has explained why he has not yet dismissed Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi despite the ongoing fertilizer scandal.

Addressing concerns during an X-spaces session, Ruto emphasized that Kenya is a country that upholds the rule of law and that individuals cannot be fired based on unverified allegations.

Ruto on Linturi’s case

Linturi has faced intense scrutiny over a scandal involving the sale of 139,688 bags of soil amendment and conditioner, valued at Ksh209 million, which were falsely represented as genuine fertilizer.

This scandal has raised significant public outcry and calls for accountability.

Responding to a question during the X-spaces session on Friday, July 5, 2024, Ruto stated that actions have been taken against individuals where sufficient evidence exists.

“Those where evidence has been covered sufficiently are in court. The CEO, General Manager, and seven other staff of the cereals and board are in court. The Minister was taken to parliament to answer for political responsibility to prove if his oversight role was in question,” he explained.

Ruto further stressed the importance of due process, saying, “I want to tell you that we are a country of the rule of law. When an allegation is made against a person and is not verified, there is no way such a person can be held to account.”

The president assured the public that if any Cabinet Secretary or Principal Secretary is found with verified allegations against them, he would take swift action.

“If there are verified allegations against a CS or PS, the day they are taken to court, I will fire them. I will not wait for the court process because there will be an element of confirmation,” he concluded.

In May, Linturi narrowly avoided impeachment after a special parliamentary committee found that the grounds for the impeachment motion were not substantiated. The 11-member committee, tasked with investigating allegations against the agriculture minister, saw seven members vote to save Linturi.

Linturi impeachment

The impeachment motion, sponsored by Bumula MP Jack Wamboka, listed three grounds: gross violation of the Constitution or any other law, serious reasons to believe the CS has committed a crime under national law, and gross misconduct.

The allegations primarily centred around the procurement and distribution of government-subsidized fertilizer, which is itself under investigation for being counterfeit.

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