Agriculture CS Linturi, John-Allan Namu clash on Live TV over fake fertiliser scandal

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi and veteran investigative journalist John Allan-Namu on Thursday engaged in a fiery exchange over the authenticity of the ‘Fertile Deception’ documentary which exposed the circulation of fake government fertiliser across Kenya.

Speaking on Citizen TV’s ‘Tonight’ show, CS Linturi maintained that the fertiliser in circulation is just sub-standard and not necessarily fake, going as far as accusing the opposition and “crooked” journalists of pushing the agenda. 

He further accused Namu and his team of not reaching out to his office for their side of the story before airing the documentary, claiming that ‘Africa Uncensored’ knowingly subjected his ministry to public scrutiny by allegedly neglecting to do so.

“What ran on ‘Africa Uncensored’ is not anything that I would take seriously. Responsible journalism would require that before you do release the documentary, you get a clarification from the ministry to understand what is happening. So when you run a story without hearing our side you are condemning us,” said the CS.

Joining the conversation via phone, Namu dismissed Linturi’s rebuttal, accusing the Ministry of Agriculture of ignoring his attempts to reach out for comment prior to the documentary's release.

“He (Linturi) claims that we never reached out to the ministry; that’s a lie. On February 15 we reached out via their email, we reached out to one of his assistants John Marete. His ministry is the only government department that did not respond to our claim. So when he says that I am a crook and liar, perhaps he should take a hard look in the mirror,” said the veteran investigative journalist.

In response, Linturi deflected blame away from himself, pointing out the size of his ministry and further stating that Namu should have addressed his inquiries specifically to his office.

“The ministry is not me; there are many people in the ministry. He should be saying ‘sent by email to the office of the CS, to the attentions of my secretary or my PA.’ Let him share the email, the phone number of the people he reached out to,” Linturi said.

“That is exactly what we did; Is John Marete not in your office? We reached out to him directly,” Namu responded.

Namu further defended the integrity of his reporting and criticized Linturi for attempting to undermine his work without providing substantive evidence to refute it.

“He keeps on dragging our name in the mud when it is us who have brought this issue to the attention of the public. If he is worth his salt as the Agriculture CS, he must apologise to our organization and the nation for doing this,” said Namu. 

“Everything that we said has gone out by fact. I don’t know what the minister has against me or us as Uncensored. If he has things that can controvert what we are doing let him table the evidence.”

He additionally emphasised the importance of investigative journalism in serving public interest, urging Linturi to address any grievances directly rather than attempting to discredit his team’s reporting.

“It is in the public interest that we are doing this work. I am not doing this because I have a personal grudge against Mithika Linturi. I do not know him and if he has a personal grudge against me he should take it up against me personally not to try and mislead a nation at such a period,” stated the Africa Uncensored boss.

The CS responded: "I have made reference to the organisation he works with because this is not the first time he has run a story like this on me and on issues he has not substantiated. I kept quiet and decided not to even go to court. So when I am told he has done a story I don’t bother."