CORRIDORS OF POWER

Is the no-nonsense Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha aware of the state of two lifts at the Jogoo House Building? Workers at the ministry's headquarters have complained that the lifts in the 10-floor building, which are used by ordinary staff and visitors, have not been working for two weeks. Only the VIP lift is running. Last week, the staff overheard asking if the CS had been informed about the state of the lifts.

An opposition MP who has developed a rather cosy relationship with an influential Cabinet Secretary is making hay while the handshake shines. With many benefits accruing from the truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition chief Raila Odinga, there's no doubt that "it's our time to eat." The MP from Nyanza through the influence of the powerful CS is said to have landed a multi-million shilling tender he bid for through a proxy firm associated with his family friend. The MP, a former bitter Jubilee critic, has all of a sudden turned into a fierce defender of the same government he held in contempt. He has also become surprisingly generous to his constituents and beyond. His colleagues from the region are amazed at his new status and pushing him to declare his intention to run for the governor's seat. Politics is not only the art of the impossible but also a sea of changing fortunes.

A second-term governor from Nyanza who has often been accused of arrogance by some residents is under siege. The angry constituents have started collecting signatures online to impeach the county boss. They say the governor is arrogant and has nothing to show for the billions of shillings the devolved unit has received since 2013. The county chief is said to be making calls to local ODM officials and elected leaders in the area, some of whom he had fallen out with. He wants them to help him to reach out to the offended residents. His constituents have, however, promised to teach him a lesson.

A senior police officer within Nairobi who lives with his family in the  Kasarani-Mwiki area has a tendency to wave around his pistol especially when he has taken one too many. While police Standing Orders bar officers from carrying arms when they are off-duty, this particular officer doesn't give a hoot! In the most recent incident, the officer brandished his loaded gun when a boda boda operator in the Sunton area, who had parked along a narrow road, was slow to move it out of the way so the officer could drive along. The officer known for intimidating residents threatened to shoot the rider, causing a security scare at dusk. It is not clear why the officer is allowed to go home with his firearm in what poses a security risk to the residents given his love for the bottle. Isn't it time Vigilance House shows some vigilance and moves in to address this recklessness to save lives?