CS nominee Lee Kinyanjui: My criticism has never been of the government, but of policies

If you had told a Nakuru resident five years ago that there would come a time when former Nakuru governor Lee Kinyanjui would be standing before a parliamentary committee being vetted for a Cabinet Secretary (CS) position in the Kenya Kwanza administration, it would have sounded out of this world.

But in politics, there is no such thing as the impossible. Yesterday, at least, proved as much.

The one-term governor, who lost his bid for re-election, had a few skeletons in his closet that some committee members wanted answers to.

The issue of allegedly rounding up street children and dumping them in the hyena-infested Embobut Forest took centre stage and it was here that things got loud and noisy, with the former governor seen to be agitated by the question posed to him by Hon Dawood Abdul.

"I have my conscience right, I can never do that," he said.

The Solai Dam tragedy is another issue that reared its ugly head, and unlike the street children question, this one was taken with more composure, with the English literature graduate highlighting some of the steps his administration has taken to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again.

"This matter went to court and they decided to settle out of court on their own volition," he said.

After failing to secure a second term as governor, Lee Kinyanjui decided to take on the role as a member of the opposition, but his approach was more poetic, to say the least.

He used his literary skills by going on Facebook and composing poems that put the Kenya Kwanza administration to shame.

This, of course, did not go unnoticed as most of his posts went viral.

He clarified his stance, saying: "Criticism of policies does not mean criticism of a government. Positive criticism can help improve policies for the benefit of the government and the people."

In Naivasha, we have a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), one of the projects that the Kenya Kwanza regime has at its heart.

Therefore, if he comes into this ministry, this matter would fall squarely under his portfolio.

In response to a question posed to him by Hon David Pkosing who wanted to know the CS nominee's position on not emphasising on the SEZ but rather on the economic niche of the counties.

To this, Mr Kinyanjui said that the SEZ should be responsive to the economic activities of the region.

"There is a need to rationalise this fact. Investor sensitisation is important to ensure the right investment in the SEZ and to encourage local manufacturers to also benefit," he said.

The issue of the 2027 general election was also a topic of discussion. Given that he was a one-term governor.

 "Will you spend your time as CS rotating around Nakuru trying to get re-elected or will you go around serving Kenyans?" asked committee chair Moses Wetangula.

"The choice of what would happen in two and a half years, including for all the members of the House at the moment, I am sure you don't have the answers yourselves and I think the answers will come as we move forward," Mr Kinyanjui said.