MPs give the nod for Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi to be impeached

The fate of Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi is in the balance after MPs on Thursday voted to give the nod for the formation of a committee to investigate his conduct and approve whether he should be impeached from office or not.

In today's debate, which is considered special, a third of the 349 members were required to vote for it to move to the next level. This translates to 116 members.

A total of 149 MPs voted in favour of the motion, while 36 voted against it. Three MPs abstained.

The 11-member select committee will comprise six from the majority side which is Kenya Kwanza, four from the minority side, and one from the Jubilee party.

In his ruling, House Speaker Moses Wetangula ordered the parliamentary teams to nominate the names by 1:45 pm.

"I direct that the names must be submitted to me not later than 1.45 pm," he ordered.

The House business committee will then be expected to bring a motion to the House for consideration of the names. In nominating the names, the speaker directed the parliamentary groups to factor in regional and gender rules.

During the motion to approve the names, a vote will be conducted where the members may either approve the list as it is or drop some names.

Once properly constituted as the House guidelines dictate, the committee will be required to report back to the House within 10 days.

This now means the appointed members of the committee may be forced to convene early next week to deliberate on the matter. The House is set to proceed on a month-long recess beginning tomorrow.

If the allegations are substantiated by the committee, the CS is allowed to defend himself against the charges, and the House votes, to either approve or reject the resolution.

If the House votes to uphold the Committee's decision, the Speaker will present the House's decision to the President, who will dismiss the Cabinet Secretary.

The motion sponsored by Bumula MP Jack Wamboka was cleared Tuesday by speaker Moses Wetangula who noted that it meets the required threshold.

The troubles facing Linturi stem from an alleged scandal surrounding the quality of fertiliser recently supplied to farmers by the government.

The subsidised fertiliser was distributed to the farmers through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots.

If the legislators endorse his ouster, he will go on record as the first CS to be impeached in President William Ruto's government in less than two years in office.

According to Wamboka, at least 110 MPs signed the petition to have Linturi removed from office. The fact that this includes MPs from Ruto's side who would have otherwise been expected to defend him spells doom for the former Meru senator.

Wamboka listed three grounds alleged to be a 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.

In determining its admissibility, Wetangula stated that he examined two key issues. These are whether it meets the requirements of the Constitution and the standing orders and whether the grounds contained in the motion are admissible.

On the first ground, Wamboka argued that the CS failed to undertake public participation with relevant stakeholders in the implementation of a far-reaching policy decision on the procurement and distribution of fertiliser.

He noted that his conduct in approving its procurement and distribution by the NCPB disclosed a gross violation of national values and principles of good governance.

Wamboka added that this infringes Article 46 of the Constitution on consumer rights to goods and services or reasonable quality and their protection of health, safety and economic interests and that public money was not applied prudently and responsibly.