Lee Kinyanjui, a seasoned politician and former governor, recently became the centre of attention during his vetting for the prestigious role of Cabinet Secretary for Investment, Trade, and Industry.
Known for his composed demeanour, Kinyanjui surprised everyone when a single question seemed to push him beyond his usual calm.
Appearing before the National Assembly's Committee on Appointments on January 14, 2025, North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood raised a question that became the focal point of the vetting session.
Dawood sought clarification regarding an allegation where Kinyanjui, then serving as Nakuru Governor, was accused of rounding up street children and families and dumping them in Embobut Forest.
The question appeared to anger Kinyanjui, who lost his composure and responded heatedly to committee members.
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"Mr Speaker, it is extremely wrong... I also have very many allegations about everyone else so if it is about allegations, I think we can also come up with allegations," he said.
His outburst prompted National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula to step in and restore order.
"I advise you not to lose your cool. Just answer the questions the way they are asked… If it is not true, even no is an answer. If you lose your cool, you will be unable to answer the next questions," Wetangula advised Lee.
Kinyanjui eventually addressed the question, dismissing the allegation as baseless and labelling it a tactic by his political opponents to tarnish his reputation.
"I have my conscience right; I can never do that, and the unfortunate thing, including at the Senate, there are politicians who are there and the people who were sponsoring it today; let's be fair, you can't call a governor to come and answer to allegations put by their opponents with intentions to compete for elective positions and then use that story later against him," he opined.
The former Nakuru Governor further emphasized that no family had come forward to complain. He added that Kenya boasts some of the best investigative institutions in the East African region.
If the allegation had been confirmed, security agencies would have investigated the matter and provided the names of the alleged missing persons.
In 2019, Kinyanjui faced allegations of rounding up street children and families and relocating them to Embobut Forest as part of a cleanup effort to beautify Nakuru while the town was pursuing city status.
The Senate's Labour Committee took up the allegation after Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika filed a petition on behalf of five Nakuru residents. Following an investigation, the committee reported that at least 41 children were forcibly removed from the streets by county officials.
Led by then-Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, the committee invited investigative agencies to probe the matter further.
In his response to the Senate report, Kinyanjui dismissed the claims, labelling them a "cheap smear campaign" orchestrated by his political opponents.
"We have received news of a report tabled before the Senate to discuss purported mishandling of street children in Nakuru...There is no doubt that this is a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the key development agenda that the county has undertaken and a cheap smear campaign.
"The conclusions and recommendations of the committee are at best a joke and reflect a preconceived political position disguised as a report of the committee,” Kinyanjui's statement reads in part.
As of January 16, 2025, the matter was yet to be conclusively addressed.
