Aldai Member of Parliament (MP) Maryanne Kitany, speaking at a thanksgiving ceremony for the election of Chepkunyuk Member of County Assembly John Tildai in Nandi County, emphasized the need for Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi to assume full responsibility for the proliferation of counterfeit subsidised fertiliser in National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots. Kitany stressed the importance of directly addressing the fake fertiliser issue without implicating other leaders.
Kitany and Linturi were once romantically involved but experienced a falling out in 2016. They are presently engaged in a legal battle over several properties.
“This issue of distribution of fake fertiliser is serious. Those in the ministry should come out clear and stop the blame games. Someone must carry his cross alone,” the legislator asserted.
Kitany's comments come at a critical juncture when farmers nationwide are rushing to plant maize seedlings amidst the controversy surrounding counterfeit fertiliser. The MP called on the government to hold senior officials implicated in the scandal accountable instead of unfairly blaming innocent leaders.
“A senior official should take the responsibility. We shouldn’t be shifting the blame to tarnish other innocent leader’s names,” she insisted.
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Nandi Hills MP Bernard Kitur echoed Kitany's sentiments, condemning the situation and describing it as unjust for farmers to receive counterfeit fertilisers after diligently preparing for the planting season.
“It is very wrong to have such a mess in the Ministry of Agriculture. The officials should tell us why this is happening,” Kitur emphasized.
Over the weekend, reports surfaced indicating that eight officials at the Kenya Bureau of Standards had been suspended in relation to the fake fertiliser saga.
These suspensions coincide with an ongoing investigation by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Parliament.
According to officials, the eight individuals were interdicted due to their involvement in issuing certification and quality marks to two companies associated with substandard fertiliser.
Among those interrogated by the DCI on Friday last week were these individuals. Upon completion of the investigations, the DCI will submit the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for further action.
