Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry Lee Kinyanjui has criticised a Democratic Change Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua over his remarks calling for United States intervention to investigate Kenya’s leadership in connection with alleged funds linked to drugs and the Minnesota fraud case.
In a statement on Monday, Kinyanjui expressed alarm at what he described as reckless political conduct, warning that dragging foreign governments into domestic political disputes could have far-reaching consequences for the country.
The Cabinet Secretary faulted the DCP leader for seeking external intervention despite having previously been part of the same political formation he now targets.
“The DCP leader has been quoted requesting the intervention of the USA to investigate Kenya’s leadership over allegations of sponsorship through funds linked to the Minnesota fraud case. Never mind it’s on the very party he was the running mate,” Kinyanjui said.
While acknowledging that investigations fall outside his ministerial mandate, Kinyanjui said the request reflected poor judgement and a dangerous failure to separate political rivalries from issues of international gravity.
“While the province of investigations does not belong to me, the sheer lack of wisdom in failing to distinguish between political differences and matters of grave international significance is alarming,” he stated.
The Cabinet Secretary questioned the motive behind the call, suggesting it was driven by personal vendetta rather than national interest.
He warned that such actions risk undermining Kenya’s sovereignty and international standing.
“How can a leader seek to throw his own country into the deep end merely to score personal revenge?” Kinyanjui posed.
He further described the approach as regressive, cautioning that politicising sensitive international matters could expose the country to unnecessary diplomatic and economic risks.
“This brand of politics is retrogressive and dangerous. It reflects raw greed and naivety in handling matters that could have potentially catastrophic consequences,” he said.
Kinyanjui ended with a pointed proverb aimed at leaders he accused of irresponsible conduct, urging restraint and maturity in political engagement.
“To such people we say: A child can play with its mother’s breast, but not its father’s testicles,” Kinyanjui remarked.
Speaking during a church service at AIPCA Kiratina in Kiambu County, Gachagua on Sunday claimed the President William Ruto’s public posture on fighting narcotics was contradicted by the people he keeps close, daring him to begin the crackdown from within his own government.
Gachagua further called United States President Donald Trump to conduct in Kenya a similar forceful operation similar to the one carried out in Venezuela on Saturday morning, which he resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
