Why Mithika Linturi could not provide Indian degree certificate during vetting

Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary nominee Mithika Linturi was on Friday put to task over his academic integrity during his vetting by the National Assembly’s Committee on Appointments.

Linturi stated that he could not present some of his education credentials, including a degree acquired in India, following court orders that bar him from accessing his house where the said documents are stored.

He said he was only able to present evidence of the documents in which he was in possession and that did not have court cases tied around them, further noting he is presently dealing with 35 civil suits.

“Issues around the Indian degree is that the documents I attached are the documents I am able to access. I attached the documents from the University of Nairobi, it does not have issues,” Linturi said.

“There are circumstances why my certificates are not attached… There is also a court order that bars me from accessing my own house where all documents are, even as I sit here, there are documents - my titles, logbooks  - which I can’t access.”

Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi had enquired on the legitimacy of Linturi's alleged University of Nairobi (UoN) law degree, saying the institution had reportedly sought to discontinue the ex-legislator over allegations of forgery of documents.

The former Meru Senator, in his response, dismissed Wandayi’s remarks clarifying that the UoN degree was legitimate and had no issues around it.

“I don’t have any dispute with the University of Nairobi Law degree...the degree in question was a Masters degree,” Linturi said in his defence.

Committee Chairman and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula was, during the early stages of the vetting session, forced to guide Linturi on how to answer questions since, for over half an hour of the allocated time, he only addressed legal issues.

“There is an article called ‘the witness who talked too much’…if you have an Indian degree say yes, if you don’t have it here, say you don’t, the reason you don’t have it, you are barred from accessing your premises where it is, and we will leave it there. You are volunteering unnecessary information,” Wetangula remarked.

Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss echoed Wetangula’s words opining that the indirect responses by Linturi were a plot to dodge critical questions by passing time.

“I’m actually beginning to think that the candidate is voluntarily avoiding explaining to us how he will transform the Agriculture industry in Kenya because he is spending too much time on questions which are not important to this particular docket,” she stated.