NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 21 – Agriculture and Livestock nominee Mithika Linturi has spilled the beans on what pushed him to withdraw a motion in 2014 against Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru on the National Youth Service (NYS) Scandal.
Linturi who appeared before the National Assembly Committee on appointment for vetting elaborated that he was a man under siege with former President Uhuru Kenyatta under hand to ensure that the motion against Waiguru on the saga was botched.
“For those that have never known that when a gun is put on your head and you have a CEO who is almost a terrorist then they are many people who cannot understand the pressure and intimidation that exist,” he told the committee chaired by Speaker Moses Wetangula.
The former Igembe North MP narrated how the withdrawal letter was drafted by certain individual with Jomo Gecaga who was the former president’s aid being mentioned severally as having orchestrated the plans to thwart that motion by drafting the withdrawal letter on his behalf.
Linturi explained to the vetting committee that he was coerced to sign the withdrawal letter at around 8pm in the presence of President Kenyatta.
Thereafter, Speaker of the house then Justin Muturi who was in Kilimani was recalled to the precincts of Parliament to receive and sign the withdrawal letter signed by Linturi under duress.
“The letter to withdraw the motion was drafted by one J. Muturi and I was asked to sign. Muturi was called from Kilimani and was told to go back to the house there is a letter that is being brought to withdraw that motion,” he said.
“Jomo Gecaga past 8 delivered the withdrawal letter to the then Speaker J Muturi. Those are the circumstances I found myself in,” Linturi added.
The Agricultural nominee revealed that the happenings left him a tormented man following the coercion to withdrawal the motion on the graft scandal that involved Sh 791Million
“I signed the letter and the President was there then and that was the time that our relationship with him started going sour. That thing has really tormented me,” Linturi said.
In mid-June 2014, Linturi’s impeachment Motion against Waiguru was thrown out due to a “technicality”. This is after the Igembe North MP failed to show up in Parliament to give notice.
But when Linturi was questioned on why he failed to turn up he said that he “acted out of respect for President Uhuru Kenyatta”, whom he claimed had prevailed upon him to drop the Motion.
