NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 18 – Ikolomani MP Dr Bonny Khalwale on Wednesday morning gave notice of Motion seeking to censure Agriculture Minister William Ruto.
The motion was due to be initiated on Wednesday’s afternoon.
It read: “Deeply concerned with the conduct of the Minister for Agriculture, this House censures the Minister and resolves that it has no confidence in him and demands that he resigns with immediate effect.”
Mr Ruto has been accused of mishandling the purchase, storage, sale and distribution of maize from the National Cereals and Produce Board.
Dr Khalwale said in doing that, the Agriculture Minister disregarded the provisions of the Public Officer Ethics Act and should not continue to hold office.
If the motion is approved by Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, it will give President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga the clear message that they should sack Mr Ruto if he does not resign.
On Tuesday the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Land and Natural Resources said it had completed its 10-day fact finding mission on the maize scandal although it needed more time to verify the evidence.
Committee Chairman John Mututho said they gathered 2,000 supporting documents and would soon table their report in Parliament.
He said they interrogated Mr Ruto on Tuesday but would not disclose what he had told the committee.
In July last year, Mr Khalwale successfully moved a censure motion against Amos Kimunya resulting in his resignation from the Treasury over the dubious sale of the Grand Regency Hotel.
Mr Kimunya was re-appointed as Minister for Trade in a mini-reshuffle that saw Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta taking up the Finance portfolio.
About The Author
