Resign for country and self respect, Kalonzo tells CS Linturi

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has urged embattled Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi to resign in light of an ongoing impeachment process.

Parliamentarians on Thursday supported the formation of a select committee to investigate Linturi’s conduct.

A total of 149 members voted in favor, 36 rejected it and three abstained.

Candidates for the 11-member select committee that will investigate the impeachment allegations have already been filed.

Kalonzo said Linturi should not wait for the select committee to verify the impeachment charges after a majority of MPs voted in favor of his dismissal.

“If Linturi has been charged, I find it very strange and goes against the concept of supremacy of Parliament itself. That the decision of 149 members of Parliament has to go to the committee for verification,” Kalonzo said.

“So, Linturi, for your own respect and that of the country, resign soon,” Kalonzo said.

Kalonzo spoke as he presided over the distribution of relief food to flood victims in Mumbuni, Machakos County on Thursday.

The Wiper leader said that as members of Azimio, they will continue to criticize President William Ruto’s administration when necessary.

“As members of Azimio, we have been saying it over and over again. We will not stop talking,” Kalonzo said.

He said Kenyans are making up for the problem of high taxes, adding: “If there is a country that can be baptized, we can dub Kenya as an overtax nation.”

“Kenyans are not satisfied. Yesterday, in Ruto’s speech, Kenyans hoped they could get relief. But instead of relief, doctors are still on strike, taxes are everywhere.”

The Wiper leader further said that the corporate tax risks scaring away investors to neighboring countries such as Tanzania.

Kalonzo said the opposition will continue to be vigilant as the opposition’s mandate is a constitutional right.

“If we remain silent, citizens will be suffocated by this government and then we will have a real national disaster,” Kalonzo said.

Former Defense CS Eugene Wamalwa told the government to declare the ongoing floods a national disaster.

“We want to ask the Kenya Kwanza government that this disaster we are now witnessing in Kenya does not affect only Machakos and Nairobi counties. Almost 32 out of 47 counties have been affected by floods,” he said.

“This means this is a national crisis and as Azimio we demand that the time has come for Kenya Kwanza to decide and declare this a national disaster,” Wamalwa said.

He said that once a national disaster is declared, many actors, including state and non-state actors, will come forward to support flood victims across the country.

“Both the national and county governments will collaborate with all our international partners. But as always, this administration takes a long time before making a decision,” Wamalwa said.

He said he, together with Kalonzo, had recently warned the government against the plan to reopen schools last Monday, but was adamant only on making the decision at the last minute after midnight on Sunday.

“They stayed all day until midnight when they decided to postpone the reopening of schools. Many children had already traveled and many of them were stranded in Nairobi after the announcement because there is disorganization in the Kenya Kwanza government,” Wamalwa said.

“We want to say that as we face this disaster, Kenya Kwanza is itself a disaster waiting to happen,” Wamalwa said.

For his part, Jubilee secretary-general Jeremiah Kioni called on President Ruto to safeguard the return.

“Give money to the counties and have the utmost respect for devolution. Help them grow like others have done in the past,” Kioni said.