AZIMIO DEMANDS LINTURI’S RESIGNATION AND FARMERS COMPENSATION

The Azimio leadership wants farmers who were sold the fake fertilizer compensated by the government as it demanded that Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi take responsibility by resigning.

Addressing the media at the Azimio secretariat, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, the party leader of Wiper, a member of the Azimio coalition, noted that CS Linturi should bear the responsibility over “policy failure and negligence in handling the fertilizer issue.”

This even as the Wiper leader warned that Azimio will not hesitate to join the already striking workers on the streets and mobilize Kenyans in exercising their rights to assemble, demonstrate, picket and petition.

“For over three weeks, the Kenya Kwanza regime denied the presence of fake fertilizer being distributed to the farmers. They said it was fake news,” said Mr Kalonzo.

“Now it is clear that indeed the Kenya Kwanza government sold peasant farmers fake fertilizer through some individuals with the thirst to make quick money,” the Wiper leader added.

Already, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has established that the fertilizers whose distribution to farmers has caused a national uproar do not meet the basic quality test.

Among the fertilizer brands Kelphos Plus, Kelphis Gold, and NPK 10:26:10 that were sold to poor unsuspecting peasant farmers were found to be substandard.

Interestingly, the fake fertilizers were being sold to farmers through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), a government agency, through its depots across the country.

The emerging details indicate that what was sold to the unsuspecting peasant farmers in the name of fertilizer was actually a mixture of animal faeces, crushed bottles mixed with sand and packaged in a bag labeled GK with writings; subsidized fertilizer.

As a result, farmers have opted to plant their crops without fertilizer over fears that it might be fake in what endangers the country’s food security at a time the government is keen to address food insecurity.

“You cannot sell fake fertilizers to farmers and expect bumper harvest! This is wrong because you are just courting food insecurity issues for the country as well as impoverishing the people,” said Mr Wandayi.

According to Mr Kalonzo, “we are keenly watching and following the actions of the KK regime on these and other national concerns including the high cost of living.”

“Failure to immediately resolve the health crisis to compensate the farmers for their losses in the fake fertilizer scam and the immediate resignation of the incompetent CSs, will lead into chaos.”