Agriculture Cabinet Secretary nominee Andrew Karanja has denied any links with former CS Mithika Linturi during his vetting by the Parliamentary Committee on Appointments on Friday, August 1, 2024.
Karanja was put to task by the Leader of the Majority in the National Assembly, Kimani Ichung’wah, who inquired about the links between him and the sacked CS.
“I have never met the former minister for agriculture; I have never been a personal assistant,” Karanja told the 20-member parliament committee.
He noted that his career involved coordination with governments; he had never worked for a politician.
Karanja noted that he was born in Gatundu North and spent the better part of his earlier education there before joining the University of Nairobi in 1984 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in agriculture.
The CS nominee also noted that he has a Master’s in Agricultural Economics and a PhD in Development Economics in the Netherlands.
His career started as an agriculture extension officer in Baringo before becoming a planning officer at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Andrew Karanja: For the record, I have never met the former Minister for Agriculture and I have never been a P.A.#K24Siasa pic.twitter.com/x09QAqan8j
— K24 TV (@K24Tv) August 2, 2024
Karanja also worked at the Coffee Research Foundation for eleven years, progressing from an agricultural officer to departmental head.
He would later join the World Bank as a senior agricultural economist influencing policy decisions in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda.
In 2014, Karanja left the World Bank to embark on consultancy work. He would, however, be appointed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta to serve in a task force to come up with reforms in the coffee industry.
Karanja highlights suitability
Karanja told the parliamentary committee that his education and experience proved that he was best placed to serve in the sensitive agriculture docket.
“I interacted very highly with ministers and Principal Secretaries, so I have quite some knowledge about government operations,” he said.
He also promised to deal with cartels in the Ministry of Agriculture by promoting integrity and openness in the tendering, procurement, and distribution of fertilizers.
“I am giving a notice to cartels that they will be out of business; I will deal with them,” Karanja noted.
He pointed out that he would follow governance structures by making sure that all the government agencies are involved.
Karanja said that the government of Kenya has agencies that are capable of dealing with the cartels and that he will be at the forefront of leading the course.
