A light moment was on Friday, October 21, witnessed in parliament after Suna East MP Junet Mohamed claimed Agriculture Cabinet Secretary nominee Mithika Linturi was nervous.
Linturi, who was the first nominee to appear before the committee on appointments on day four, was defending himself regarding a forgery case against him when Junet interjected and asked Speaker Moses Wetang'ula to tell the former Meru Senator to breathe normally.
"Chairman I am sitted next to the nominee. I am requesting you tell him to breathe normally so that we don't go into a serious health crisis," Junet said, leaving the committee members in stitches.
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In a quick rejoinder, the seasoned politician told the Speaker that he had no reason to be nervous since he was interacting with colleagues.
"I am not nervous. How would I be nervous, these are my colleagues. We have been around together for a long time," Linturi said.
Linturi went on to deny forging signatures to secure a Ksh530 million bank loan using properties belonging to his estranged wife Marianne Kitany.
Linturi has 35 cases
Earlier, Linturi revealed that he has 35 pending cases in court.
The former Meru senator plagued by scandals, however, clarified that all the cases pending in court are civil in nature. The matters, among others, relate to property disputes.
While responding to concerns from National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi on his integrity, Linturi said the only criminal case he had in court on attempted rape had been withdrawn.
"Saying that I have a litany of cases is an understatement. As I sit here I have 35 cases in court," he said.
"The only criminal case that I had in court is the case between the republic and I, where the complainant was Beryl. I was the complainant in this case because it was a case of abduction and is a case where people wanted to extort money from me," he added.
Linturi maintained that he was falsely linked to sexual assault by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over his political affiliation.
The woman had accused the former legislator of sneaking into their room at Maiyan Villa’s hotel in Nanyuki on January 30, 2021, where the politician allegedly intentionally and unlawfully attempted to rape her when her husband was out.
