A statement circulating online alleging that Agriculture cabinet secretary Peter Munya has slammed Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for flagging off donated fertiliser as subsidised fertiliser is false.
The statement shared by a Facebook user, Son of the Soil – Dr Isaiah, claimed that the outgoing CS had distanced himself from the incoming regime led by President William Ruto and his Deputy Gachagua.
“There is nothing wrong with me failing to attend today’s event. I am told that Rigathi Gachagua was flagging off subsidized fertilisers. That’s laughable because those fertilizers are not for sale, the Russian company, Uralchem was giving away free fertilisers to developing countries because they had accumulated in EU ports due to sanctions. That is why Ruto and Gachagua shifted subsidy to fertilisers and not unga and fuel. The fertilizers are free and to join them in lying to the public is an abomination. I can’t be part of a regime that seeks to oppress citizens, and nobody will force me to do it, I’m not a wheelbarrow to be pushed anywhere.”~Peter Munya, CS Agriculture,” the Facebook user posted.
The statement was also shared online by other users both on Facebook and Twitter, creating an impression that it was authentic.
A fact-check by Business Today has found the statement to be false and did not originate from Munya.
Munya, on both his official Facebook and Twitter pages, termed the statement as fake without sharing further details.
“(The statement is) fake,” Munya told Business Today.
On Wednesday, September 22, 2022, Gachagua flagged off the first consignment of the Ksh3.55 billion subsidised fertiliser at the Office of the Deputy President.
Despite Munya being absent during the event, Principal Secretary Francis Owinoo was at the event.
Munya did not, however, issue a statement slamming the Deputy President or the government.
The statement allegedly from Munya is, therefore, false.
This fact-check was produced by BUSINESS TODAY with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck, African Fact Checking Alliance network and the United Nations Development Programme.
Read: 2022: CS Munya Stakes Claim to Lead Mt. Kenya, Goes After Old Foes
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