After snubbing the Agriculture and Livestock Committee for the fourth time after calls to explain issues dogging his Ministry including the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) scandal, Agriculture Cabinet secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri now risks an unknown action from the Members of Parliament.
The law makers on Tuesday October 30, 2018 gave the embattled Agriculture boss a 7- day ultimatum.
Kiunjuri now has to face sanctions before Tuesday November 6, 2018.
The furious Members of parliament led by the Committee Chairperson Adan Haji, ordered the CS to appear before them not later than the date slated for sanctions.
“Why did he set the date and the time of the meeting only to fail to show up,” the Mandera South MP posed.
In his view, Kiunjuri’s failure to honour the meeting can be equated to demeaning the Committee and Parliament by extension.
Reading the riot act, MP Haji reminded the CS that the Committee has the legal mandate to seek answers and clarification from government officials as per their discretion.
CS Kiunjuri has in the past come under heavy criticism over the glaring irregularities including the controversial purchase of maize worth Ksh2 billion.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has not less than once publicly lashed out Kiunjuri following the corruption maize scandals at the National Cereals and Produce Board that has seen more farmers fail to be paid until now.
n late October, it emerged that the NCPB is on the verge of loosing Ksh1.8 billion through poor maize storage and by ignoring calls for better food preservation.
Auditor General Edward Ouko showed 750,000 bags of maize weighing 90kgs each have been damaged by weevils, the move that made Kiunjuri to order for a test on the maize in the stores to verify if it was fit for human Consumption.
CS Kiunjuri also acknowledged that the government had purchased the maize at a high cost of Ksh3,6000 per 90kgs bag which it is currently selling at Ksh2,300.
Do you think Kiunjuri has to carry himself responsible for the NCPB scandal?