‘I have never met him!’ Agriculture CS nominee Dr. Karanja denies being Linturi's personal assistant

Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary nominee Dr. Andrew Mwihia Karanja has dismissed claims that he previously served as the personal assistant of fired minister Mithika Linturi.

The allegations began circulating on social media after President William Ruto nominated Dr. Karanja for the ministerial position – which was previously occupied by Linturi - on Friday, July 19, 2024.

Appearing before Parliament's Committee on Appointments for vetting on Friday, National Assembly Majority Leader and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah asked Dr. Karanja to explain the alleged connection between him and Linturi.

"When you were nominated; I saw many Kenyans purporting that you used to be the personal assistant to former CS Mithika Linturi. You've said you have worked with CSs before; were you Linturi's personal assistant at any point or have you worked with him in the ministry?" Ichung'wah posed.

In his response, Dr. Karanja expressed surprise at the purported connection between him and Linturi, stressing that he has never even interacted with the former minister either personally or professionally.

"Being a PA; this one caught me off guard. For the record, I have never met the former CS and I have never been a personal assistant,” he stated.

Born in Gatundu North, Kiambu County, 62 years ago, Dr. Karanja pursued his primary education in his locality before proceeding to Uthiru and Githiga high schools in Kiambu for his secondary education.

In 1984, the CS nominee joined the University of Nairobi, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture in 1987.

Subsequently, Karanja enrolled at the same institution for a Master's Degree in Agricultural Economics, graduating in 1991.

He also holds a PhD in Development Economics from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Karanja began his distinguished career in 1987 as an Extension Officer in Baringo. After completing his Master's, he briefly worked as a Planning Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture and as a Lecturer at the then Embu Institute of Agriculture.

He has also served as an Agricultural Officer at the Coffee Research Foundation in Ruiru, where he worked for 11 years, eventually rising to become an Agricultural Economist and Head of Department.

Dr. Karanja later joined the World Bank in Nairobi as a Senior Agricultural Economist and Task Team Leader for the global lender's portfolio in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda.

At the World Bank, Karanja led programs that supported Kenyan government initiatives, including policy and regulatory changes that helped establish the Agriculture and Food Authority.

He subsequently left the World Bank in 2014 to venture into consultancy. In 2016, he was appointed to the Coffee Task Force by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.