Storm After CS Linturi Calls John Allan-Namu A 'Crook' [VIDEO]

Amidst controversy surrounding the distribution of fake fertiliser, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi on Friday, April 5 set off a social media firestorm by labelling investigative journalist John Allan-Namu a crook following his expose of fake fertilisers in the country.

The CS was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting and though this occurred on March 31, 2024, it only blew up on social media as early as Friday morning, hours after the renowned journalist revealed the genesis of his investigative piece, which was titled Fertile Deception.

Linturi argued that the government recovered from past misgivings and was able to supply better fertiliser to farmers even though sentiments by KEBS and as of now, his own Ministry, might disagree with him.

He added that he never bothered to respond to Allan-Namu regarding the expose, claiming the journalist failed to see it from a different point of view.

Here is the video:

"We've been able to learn from the past and we've been able to now give even better fertiliser than we were talking about.

"Other than this crook by the name Allan Namu...because we know him, that's why I have never responded to him because he is a character that does not just look at things from the right perspective," Linturi stated, directly referring to the co-founder of Africa Uncensored.

Dismissing the fake fertiliser allegations, Linturi urged farmers to ignore what he termed were stories on the subject intended to diminish the trust the government fostered with the farmers on the fertilisers.

"We've not had much complications or any complaints from the farmer and I would want to ask the farmers to completely ignore those kinds of bad stories because they have tested the fertiliser and we have given them. You find that farmers appreciate the fertiliser that we have given them," he added.

Internet personality Gabriel Oguda, who first shared the 54-second clip from a local YouTube channel, vowed not to let Linturi get away with insulting the credentials of one of the most famed investigative Kenyan journalists in recent times, further calling for President William Ruto to axe Linturi from office.

"Daktari, William Ruto. We will not allow any of your CSs to call John Allan-Namu a crook. We kept quiet when this moron blamed Azimio for fake fertilizers, this one on Allan-Namu we will not agree.

"This hotel room keyholder has crossed the line. He has to go," he raged.

Allan-Namu on his part replied, "I am both tickled and humbled!"

Boniface Mwangi drew comparisons between Linturi and Allan-Namu and did not mince his words, writing "Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi is actually a crook who has been accused of attempted rape, forgery, suspected of murdering his househelp and many other heinous crimes," while hailing Allan-Namu as a brave journalist, a man of integrity with unimpeachable character.

Other netizens slammed the CS for stooping very low in demeaning the credentials of the award-winning journalist with over 15 years of experience in journalism and filmmaking in Africa and across the world.

The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) is yet to issue a statement on Linturi's remarks by the time of going to press, adding to various instances of officials in the Kenya Kwanza administration launching unsolicited verbal attacks on journalists.

Meanwhile, Allan Namu revealed that his team at African Uncensored began working on the project as far back as November 2022 after receiving a tip on the story from a source who introduced him to a man involved in the counterfeit trade.

"What he saw shocked him because in as much as he was being paid, he saw exactly where this fertiliser was coming from and it was going as far as Uasin Gishu and Kitui Counties and other parts of the country," he said during Citizen TV's Newsgang show on Thursday.

"So once we heard this story we thought this is incredible. I mean how could this have happened without there being intelligence agencies who were abreast of the issue? So my team members went and filmed and when I saw the footage I was in disbelief!"

The next step of the investigation, saw Namu and his team collect samples of the counterfeit fertiliser from different National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots across the country, a process that took them the better part of 2023. Only forensic tests could confirm the precise composition of the counterfeit products.

Namu added that the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) confirmed their findings just days before the explosive documentary aired, which in its wake not only exposed a massive counterfeit operation but also sparked outrage among farmers who started testing the authenticity of their fertiliser supplies.