Aldai Member of Parliament Marianne Keitany has asked President William Ruto to take drastic action even if it includes showing her ex-husband Mithika Linturi the door.
The lawmaker had been invited to K24 TV's morning show on Thursday to debate on a wide range of issues when the issue of fake fertiliser came up.
Initially, she argued that it was unfortunate cartels were hoodwinking farmers by packing sand and excess urea and then packaging and selling that as legitimate fertiliser under the State's subsidy program.
"For me, it is economic sabotage because if this farmer is not going to grow maize in the next seven years because of someone trying to get rich by adding some stones and more urea than is required," she explained.
Before she could finish her thought, however, the show's host Joel Chacha interjected and asked, "Should President William Ruto show Mithika Linturi the door?"
The MP then responded by challenging the Head of State to make a decision he deems fit to protect the farmers.
"I think the President should lead from the front on this particular issue because fertiliser has been his running call and us within UDA and the Kenya Kwanza Government have actually lagged behind because we have seen the fruits," she stated.
"He needs to take action, whatever action that is required of him."
The former couple had earlier been embroiled in a lawsuit over ownership of their mansion in Runda, Nairobi County.
A suit that Kitany had filed in 2023 seeking to prevent Linturi from kicking her out of the property was rejected by the court.
Fertiliser Cons
An investigation by Africa Uncensored in early March this year exposed a company that mined soil and repackaged it into fertiliser which it later sold to farmers.
Interviews with a number of the farmers showed that the fake fertiliser had become poisonous to the soil and affected plant growth.
Following the investigation, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) recalled all fertiliser brands distributed by the company.
KEBS Managing Director Esther Ngari explained at the time that tests conducted on 59 samples all showed that the products failed to meet the prescribed quality standards.
