Rift Valley governor plots exit from Ruto camp

IS A RIFT Valley governor plotting a crossover from Deputy President William Ruto's camp? Well, he on Saturday met a confidant of Baringo senator and Kanu chairman Gideon Moi (above) at a posh hotel in Karen. While the details of the talks are scanty, a small bird whispered to Corridors they could have focused on Rift Valley politics.  Reports abound that Gideon has rolled out activities aimed at harvesting Ruto's allies. The Karen talks are among many lined up by Gideon's allies in the coming months in a bid to whittle down the DP's stranglehold of the vote-rich region.

A SENIOR COAST ODM member is reportedly unhappy with the National Executive Committee's decision to kick out Kilifi North MP Owen Baya as national deputy organising secretary. He is said to have over the weekend told some NEC members of his disappointment in what is likely to heighten political tension in the opposition party. A meeting is in the offing between Baya and the coastal politician to discuss the implication of the party's decision. A radical political decision by a section of Coast ODM leaders is likely in days ahead. There are reports that the high-ranking politician has developed cold feet in the party's campaigns for the Msambweni parliamentary seat.

WILL IT TAKE another round of deadly protests to save Nairobi residents the agony of using Kasarani-Mwiki road? In January, a 17-year-old boy was shot dead and several other people injured in protests over the poor state of the road. Soon after the incident, earthmovers and caterpillars were deployed to the site with the promise of upgrading the road in the shortest time possible. Eight months later, the nightmare of using the four-kilometre stretch remains. A resident told Corridors they are considering more demos to push the contractor and Kenya Urban Roads Authority to complete the job.

EFFORTS BY A youthful Nyanza MP, who had roped in a former provincial administration officer, to fire political salvos at a national official have boomeranged. The fiery and reasonably wealthy MP had pocketed the ex-administrator as his attack dog. However, the strategy to blackmail a top county official and a national government official has come back to haunt them. Reason? The ex-administrator is torn between the MP's handouts and loyalty to the national official. Last year, the official successfully lobbied to get the attack dog's wife a job at a public institution of higher learning. Call it a conundrum of sorts.

- mwaniki fm