Wetangula Clears Path For CS Linturi Impeachment Motion To Begin

National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetangula has greenlit a motion seeking the impeachment of Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mithika Linturi. Should it succeed, Linturi will be the first Cabinet Secretary since the promulgation of the Kenyan Constitution (2010) to be impeached from office.

The motion, initially filed by Bumula Member of Parliament Jack Wamboka, was supported by 110 signatures from legislators, and alleges serious wrongdoing by Linturi, accusing him of gross misconduct, gross violation of the Constitution and committing a crime under national law.

These charges stem from two recent controversies: the fertilizer scandal and issues surrounding imported sugar.

Wamboka, a member of the opposition Azimio la Umoja party, is spearheading the impeachment effort. He had raised concerns about the release of counterfeit fertilizer to the public under the watch of the Cabinet Secretary.

Bumula MP Jack Wamboka who chairs the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education. /JACK WAMBOKA

Wetangula on Tuesday, April 30 gave the impeachment motion the green light after determining it met all legal and procedural requirements. This paves the way for Wamboka to formally present the motion to the full Assembly.

“Consequently the grounds for dismissal of the Agriculture CS as contained in the proposed motion comply with the requirements of standing orders 641a and 66,” Wetangula ruled.

“In view of the foregoing, the proposed special motion meets the applicable procedural requirement for it to be admitted to the next stage."

The Assembly will debate the motion on Thursday, May 2. If a two-thirds majority of members vote in favour of the motion, an investigative committee of 11 members will be formed.

This committee will have a tight deadline, with just 10 days to examine the evidence against Linturi and deliver a report to the Assembly.

“The Select Committee shall within 10 days report to the assembly whether it finds the allegations against the Cabinet Secretary to be substantiated or otherwise. If the Select Committee report finds that the allegations are unsubstantiated, no further proceedings are taken thereafter,” read part of the Speaker’s ruling.

“However, if the Select Committee report finds that the allegations are substantiated, the House is required to afford the CS an opportunity to be heard and a vote whether to approve a resolution requiring dismissal of the Cabinet Secretary.”

The impeachment motion has garnered support from the opposition. Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi viewed the motion as a way to hold those who are in power accountable.

He urged his fellow members to participate actively in the upcoming debate, framing it as a chance to speak in one voice and hold those in power responsible for serving the nation.

“Today I am a very happy man, you have made history and you have put this House on the pedestal of a transformative institution that adheres to the rule of law and constitutionalism,” Wandayi said on the floor of the House.

“This motion is the last resort that the people of this country through their elected leadership can take as a way of holding to account those that have been put in service of the nation. I appeal to colleagues to turn in large numbers so that we can speak in one voice, we can speak for the defenceless Kenyans.”

Linturi risks being the first CS in Ruto's government to be impeached, with his Health counterpart Susan Nakhumicha also facing an ouster, a rare event occurring in the country's history.