• Kuria has come under a barrage of attacks from Kenyans and leaders from the political divide over the importation of maize into the country.
• He added salt to injury when he remarked that Kenyans are already at risk of death and those opposed to GMO foods have no legitimate concern.
Image: FILE
Former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu has come to Trade CS Moses Kuria's defence following criticism over the importation of maize.
Wambugu said Kuria did not make a unilateral decision to import the maize as the decision was first ratified by the Cabinet.
"Watu waachane na CS Moses Kuria. No way Moses made the decision to import maize by himself, it must have been discussed by Cabinet," he said.
Kuria has come under a barrage of attacks from Kenyans and leaders from the political divide over the importation of maize into the country.
The attacks started soon after the CS said Thursday last week that the government had opened a six-month window for the importation of duty-free GMO and non-GMO maize to save Kenyans from starvation.
He added salt to injury when he remarked that Kenyans are already at risk of death and those opposed to GMO foods have no legitimate concern.
Many Kenyans interpreted the remarks as deliberate life-cutting intervention by the government disguised as a life-saving strategy.
The criticism went a notch higher on Tuesday when a ship loaded with 10,000 bags of maize docked at the port of Mombasa even before a gazette notice authorising the importation was issued.
But Wambugu said the attacks against Kuria are an attack on "their people".
"Cabinet was chaired by the President and all the CSs were present. Our people must not be targeted," Wambugu.
He spoke on Wednesday during an interview on a vernacular radio station.
On Tuesday, Narok Senator Ledama Olekina absolved Ruto from blame over the maize importation saga.
He said if it were his making, his allies from Rift Valley would not be holding press conferences to denounce the importation.
Rift Valley leaders led by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei blamed the matter on cartels who they said were out to finish maize farmers.
On Wednesday, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua claimed the Cabinet decision that ratified the lifting of the ban on GMOs was null and void.
She said this is because the Cabinet that sat to make the decision was not legitimately in office since President William Ruto had been sworn in.
"Once a president has been inaugurated after elections, the reign of the outgoing ends and the outgoing cabinet dissolved by operation of law. The purported cabinet meetings with Uhuru’s cabinet after the inauguration is a nullity," Karua said.
In effect, the former Azimio running mate said the declaration to lift the ban on GMOs was nothing more than a roadside declaration and therefore, illegitimate.
"We are now set for season two of the maize scandal. Ships docking with a consignment of maize before rules of importation are known and when local farmers are harvesting," she said.