Former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has refuted President William Ruto’s claims that they are in regular communication. During an interview on Sunday, April 20, 2025, Linturi accused the president of fabricating the narrative about their contact.
President Ruto toured the Mt. Kenya region for five days and visited Meru County, where he asserted his close friendship with Linturi. He claimed that they have been discussing a potential state appointment for the former Cabinet Secretary. Meru Governor Mutuma M’ethingia and other local leaders had urged the president to reinstate Linturi, arguing that his dismissal from office was unfair.
Linturi rejected these assertions, clarifying that he last spoke with the president on December 10, 2024. On that day, he accompanied Meru bishops to State House after the president invited them.
“The last time we spoke was on December 10, and I wasn’t there seeking a job. I was accompanying Meru bishops. That was the last time. For him to come and tell people that we talk is a lie,” Linturi said. He expressed anger at the president’s remarks and accused him of misrepresenting facts.
Earlier this year, authorities dismissed Linturi from the Cabinet over allegations of involvement in the fake fertilizer scandal. He emphasized his lack of interest in rejoining Ruto’s administration, asserting his ability to sustain himself independently. He added that he is neither desperate nor willing to accept a state appointment from a president who, according to him, failed to support him during his tenure as Agriculture Cabinet Secretary.
Linturi hinted at embarking on a new political journey. He aligned himself with a growing movement of Kenyans dissatisfied with the current administration and suggested that the country is on the brink of significant political change.
“I am speaking out because I see that things are not moving in the right direction. I have decided to seek like-minded people who feel the country is not being driven well. We shall gather efforts and see whether we will be able to rescue Kenya,” he said.
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