Agriculture committee retreats to draft report on CS Linturi impeachment bid

Agriculture Committee Retreats to Draft Report on CS Linturi Impeachment Effort

Parliament is headed for a showdown on Monday when lawmakers will discuss a report tabled before it to investigate Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi.

This follows the decision of the select committee investigating Linturi's impeachment quest to retreat and write its report for tabling on Monday.

Already, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula in a notice convened a special sitting on Monday (May 13) for the committee to report to the House on whether the allegations against Linturi are substantiated.

The eleven-member committee approved last week has been investigating allegations raised against the agriculture minister in the impeachment motion sponsored by Bumula MP Jack Wamboka.

There was however drama on Friday during the hearing when Wamboka walked out of parliament in protest after the committee declined to have Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Rono present himself as one of the witnesses against the beleaguered cabinet secretary.

"Now therefore, it is notified to all Members of the National Assembly and the general public that under the provisions of Article 152(7)(b) of the Constitution and Standing Orders 64(3) and 66, I have appointed Monday, 13th May 2024 at 2:30 p.m. as the day and time for a Special Sitting of the House to receive the report of the said Select Committee," said Wetangula.

MP Wamboka has listed three grounds in the impeachment motion against CS Linturi: 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 surround the procurement and distribution of government-subsidised fertiliser which itself is under probe over concerns it was fake.

If the motion to adopt the report of the select committee obtains the support of the majority of the House's 176 members, then President William Ruto will dismiss the minister.

Initially, the committee had agreed that Wamboka has Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Rono and Kel Chemicals chief operations officer Devesh Patel testify in the case to nail Linturi.

Wamboka argues that both the PS and Devesh have in their closet incriminating evidence that will help nail Linturi in the ongoing probe.

The embattled CS is accused of his alleged directive to Kel Chemicals, the company identified as the one which distributed the fake fertiliser, to read a statement authored by the National Cereals and Produce Board.

Linturi however strongly opposed the decision to bring new evidence by the Bumula MP to fortify the case that is threatening his tenure at the helm of the Agriculture portfolio.

The CS asked the committee chaired by Marsabit Woman Representative Naomi Waqo to throw away any evidence or witnesses not relied upon when MPs voted to pass the motion on Thursday last week.

"We urge this committee to investigate the motion as approved by the House. This committee has no power to interrogate what was not before the House," Linturi's lead lawyer Muthomi Thiankolu said.

"There is zero room for introducing evidence that was not part of the evidence that was in the motion."

Coming up with the ruling on Wednesday, the Marsabit lawmaker said the committee will be open to new evidence associated with the allegations cited in the removal motion.