Former State House Comptroller Lawrence Lenayapa Dies

Former State House Comptroller and Ambassador of Kenya to the Netherlands, Lawrence Lenayapa is dead.

Lenayapa passed away on Thursday, February 29 as announced by Ambassador Ukur Yatani who penned his condolences to the family.

"My condolences to the family of Amb Lawrence Lenayapa following his passing on this morning. May Almighty God rest his soul in eternal peace and give solace to the family," he wrote on X.

A photo of former Statehouse Comptroller, Lawrence Lenayapa. /DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE

Lenayapa served as the comptroller from 2013 to 2018 when he was appointed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta upon assuming power. Before that, he served as the Ambassador in Kenya’s mission to the Netherlands in 2018.

Ambassador Lenayapa arrived in the Netherlands at the beginning of August 2018 and presented his Letters of Credence to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander on August 29 of that year.

He was also formerly the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources. In his role as Ambassador, Lenayapa had intended to prioritise his focus on Kenya’s developmental agenda that was guided by Uhuru.

The Agenda, commonly known as the Big Four Agenda, focused on moving Kenya forward in the areas of Manufacturing, Universal Healthcare, Housing and Food security.

In the Netherlands, he also held the role of Permanent Representative of Kenya to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and led Kenya's delegation to various other international organizations in the country.

While at State House, his role as the comptroller included managing the finances and the operations within the House on the Hill, including managing the financial resources of the official residence.

He also oversaw the proper execution of various functions within the House, including transportation, security, communication, catering, and general administration.

The career civil servant has worked as a District Commissioner in Baringo and Kiambu and notably made headlines in 2020 when he wrote a letter to the International Criminal Court (ICC) opposing the candidates list proposed by the court for the prosecutor position.

Despite being a powerful and public figure, Lenayapa led a largely quiet life preferring to keep his private life out of the public eye.

Details regarding the cause of his death were yet to be made public by the time of publishing this article.