The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has issued an order to arrest Cabinet Secretary Linturi and Principal Secretary Ronoh on allegations of their involvement in a fraudulent fertilizer scheme. The DPP has approved charges against them and five other high-ranking officials, including individuals from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB). The suspects were summoned for processing and were expected to appear at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters in Nairobi.
Detectives are currently searching for Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi and Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh to arrest and prosecute them. The DPP authorized these actions and has approved charges against the two officials and several others. Additionally, officials from the NCPB, including the managing director, Joseph Kimote, are expected to be arrested in a separate investigation. The DCI has initiated nine distinct investigations into this fertilizer scandal.
Linturi is allegedly implicated in the distribution and sale of substandard fertilizer to farmers through the fertilizer subsidy program. He has been questioned by the police regarding his involvement and has denied any role in the fraudulent activities, stating that his responsibilities are primarily policy-related and not related to procurement. The police are continuing to investigate the matter and plan to conduct further questioning sessions with the individuals mentioned.
The DPP directed the DCI to conduct comprehensive investigations into the manufacturing, distributing, and selling of substandard fertilizer under the fertilizer subsidy program. The charges against the first group of individuals implicated in the scam have been approved by the DPP. It is worth noting that Linturi is also facing an impeachment motion in Parliament.
Linturi has denied any involvement in the scandal, attributing the allegations to political motives. During a hearing before the National Assembly’s Agriculture Committee, the COO of Kel Chemicals, Devesh Patel, implicated several government officials, including Linturi, in the fraudulent activities. This came shortly after Linturi closed down Kel Chemicals’ factory, which was alleged to be involved in the manufacturing of fake fertilizer. The Ministry of Agriculture has tested all distributed fertilizers under the subsidy program and found that the products manufactured and distributed by Ms. KEL Chemicals did not meet the required quality standards.
The Ministry of Agriculture has instructed farmers who possess or have acquired fertilizer from KEL Chemicals to discontinue its use and seek guidance from their nearest NCPB facility. As part of the investigation into the fake fertilizer scandal, the Ministry has directed the NCPB to replace all substandard fertilizers that were distributed to farmers. The first group of suspects is set to be charged after their arrest.
