Gachagua defends Linturi, accuses Ruto of orchestrating fertiliser scandal from State House
The former Deputy President also alleged that fertiliser donations — including a 40,000-metric-tonne consignment from Russia and 30,000 metric tonnes from Algeria — were misappropriated by Maisha Minrosh.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto and Head of Public Service Felix Kosgey of controlling the procurement of fertiliser through the State House.
Gachagua claimed that decisions on fertiliser procurement — including the selection of suppliers and the quantities to be purchased — are made solely by the President and his close allies.
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Speaking on Monday during an interview with KTN, Gachagua came to the defence of former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi, who came under fire last year over the fertiliser scandal, claiming the entire debacle was orchestrated by President Ruto.
“I clashed with the President because, during the Kibaki administration, Ruto served as Minister for Agriculture. In the early years of President Uhuru’s first term (2013–2016), Felix Kosgey, now the Head of Public Service, was Agriculture Minister — but it was still Ruto and Kosgey who controlled the ministry. Mithika Linturi was simply a figurehead. They wanted to scapegoat him over fertiliser issues,” he said.
He further alleged that fertiliser was procured from a company named Maisha Minrosh and Fertilisers Limited, which he linked to Devki, a business associated with the President’s partner.
According to Gachagua, this company imported substandard fertiliser, which was allowed into the country despite warnings from the Centre for Agriculture and Public Services (CAPS).
“The President personally ordered the clearance of the substandard fertiliser. Then they attempted to frame Linturi, even pushing for his arrest,” Gachagua claimed.
“But Linturi was not to blame. It was the President and Felix Kosgey who were overseeing the procurement.”
The former Deputy President also alleged that fertiliser donations — including a 40,000-metric-tonne consignment from Russia and 30,000 metric tonnes from Algeria — were misappropriated by Maisha Minrosh.
According to Gachagua, the Russian fertiliser was donated to Kenya, rebranded, and then sold to Kenyan farmers at inflated prices.
“These donations were handed to Maisha Minrosh by the President. They then resold the fertiliser to the government at market rates, pocketing billions,” he said.
Last year, an investigative documentary titled Fertile Deception by African Uncensored exposed the circulation of substandard and counterfeit government-subsidised fertiliser.
In defence of the fertiliser in question, former CS Mithika Linturi argued that the fertiliser was not fake — only substandard.
“It did not meet Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) specifications regarding nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content. That does not make it fake; it was just below the required standard,” he explained.
Linturi compared the situation to underweight bread, saying: “A loaf weighing 480 grammes instead of 500 grammes is not fake — just substandard.”
He also defended his ministry’s processes, stating that all fertiliser was tested and approved before being distributed via the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).
However, the NCPB later banned several fertiliser brands, including those produced by Ken Chemicals Limited and KEL Chemicals, after they failed to meet KEBS standards.
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