By Peter Ochieng
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mithika Linturi can now rest easy.
The former Meru Senator on Monday afternoon survived impeachment in the National Assembly, sponsored by Bumula Member of Parliament (MP) Jack Wamboka.
This is after the 11-member special parliamentary committee chaired by Marsabit Women Representative Naomi Waqo, determined that the grounds of the impeachment motion were not substantiated.
“The allegations under ground 1 on gross violation of the constitution, ground 2 on serious reason for believing that the cabinet secretary has committed a crime under national law and ground 3 on gross misconduct, as outlined in the special motion, are unsubstantiated,” the committee said in its report.
7 out of the 11 committee members voted in his favour.
Jack Wamboka the motion on the backdrop of the fake fertilizer scam, that rocked the ministry of agriculture in the heart of the long rains planting season, under the government’s fertilizer subsidy program.
The first term MP had 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, as well as gross misconduct.
“Whatever outcome this committee makes, we will emerge victorious and it will haunt people. Farmers are crying, where does the responsibility fall?” Wamboka before the Waqo committee.
The embattled CS got a lifeline after National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula rejected an attempt by Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi, to have an impeachment report against Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi subjected to a vote.
Wandayi wanted the Speaker to “undertake a purposive” interpretation of the Constitution and standing orders such that the House validates it regardless of the findings.
“That, whatever the decision of the select committee arrives at must be validated by the full house, that is the import of Article 152 (9),” he stated.
The Speaker ruled him out, adding that he had already guided the House in relation to the matter.
“Wandayi, you are out of order in anticipating a debate. I did guide the House that I have been informed reliably that the report is ready. The report has not even been tabled, the Speaker has not seen it yet,” he said.
Had he been impeached; he could have become the first CS to be bundled out of office under the Kenya Kwanza regime.