Ruto and Kiraitu under fire over scandals

Cabinet ministers William Ruto and Kiraitu Murungi were on Thursday taken to task over the maize and oil scandals that have rocked their ministries.

After issuing eagerly-awaited ministerial statements, the Agriculture and Energy ministers faced a barrage of questions from MPs who wanted to know individuals behind the Sh825 million maize and Sh7.6 billion oil scandals.

However, the ministers defended their dockets saying investigations had been launched to establish people involved in the questionable deals.

Mr Ruto was at pains to explain to Parliament the causes of the current maize shortage that has placed 10 million Kenyans at the risk of starvation.

MPs poked holes in Mr Ruto’s explanation and questioned the accuracy of the list of companies that have been trading with the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), arguing that the minister was withholding key facts about the maize scandal.

Mr Ruto faced a packed House of MPs anxious to know the politicians and business people behind the racket.

They were, however, disappointed after the minister failed to mention individuals that have engaged in transactions with NCPB over the last 12 months.

This forced the Speaker, Mr Kenneth Marende to defer the matter to next Wednesday to allow MPs time to scrutinise the list tabled by the minister and possibly authenticate directors of the listed companies.

“Given the level of interest in this matter, I defer this matter to allow members to acquaint (themselves) with the list and further interrogate its contents,” he ruled.

MPs Bonny Khalwale (Ikolomani, New Ford Kenya) and Jeremiah Kioni (Ndaragwa, PNU) doubted the list. Dr Khalwale, who chairs the parliamentary watchdog Public Accounts Committee (PAC), said the list should be signed by Trustees of the NCPB and the permanent secretaries for Agriculture, Treasury and Special Programmes.

The Ikolomani MP claimed a girlfriend of a powerful politician in the House was among beneficiaries of the maize scandal through her company, Waso Millers. The MP was, however, ruled out of order.

Mr Ababu Namwamba (Budalang’i, ODM) argued that the only way to end speculation that politicians were involved in the scandal was for the minister to give names of people that secured stocks from the NCPB reserves.

“He should also table the forensic audit by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, Criminal Investigations Department and other state agencies and table them in the shortest time possible,” he said.

According to Mr Ruto, the tabled list was an updated one covering transactions that have taken place this month. The minister denied claims that NCPB had lost any grain stocks. “I want to set the record straight (on claims) that maize has disappeared from any of the reserve centres,” he said.

Mr John Mututho (Naivasha, Kanu), who had sought a ministerial statement on the issue, had claimed only 43,000 of the 150,000 bags allocated to millers by the government could be accounted for.