• A governor from the Coast has developed advanced interests in acquiring stake in a third-tier bank.
• It is not business as usual at the Ministry of Transport amid claims that a top official has been cutting deals with some Chinese contractors.
A Jubilee politician from Mt Kenya East, who is spiritedly working behind the scenes to position himself as Deputy President William Ruto's 2022 preferred running mate, has landed himself in trouble. The politician, who used to dish out cash generously, has become stingy amid a backlash from the county governor, who is also a Ruto ally. In a bid to tame the politician's clout in the county, the governor has been accompanying the DP to various events across the country to cement his ties within Ruto's ranks. The politician is said to be at the crossroads following the move by the DP and the governor, which has limited his options as he walks into 2022.
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A governor from the Coast has developed advanced interests in acquiring stake in a third-tier bank, exposing his growing financial muscle. An insider in the financial institution's board told Corridors of Power that the county chief is keen on injecting about Sh1 billion into the struggling bank through a proxy firm operating in the clearing and forwarding industry. The firm, in which the governor is a majority shareholder together with an Asian partner, is on the verge of receiving the board's nod in the next few months. This would cement the county chief's business interests in more industries.
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It is not business as usual at the Ministry of Transport amid claims that a top official has been cutting deals with some Chinese contractors. The official is said to have been holding meetings with the foreign contractors at a hotel in South B, where dollars have changed hands. At the heart of the troubles at the ministry is an alleged scheme by the official to push for variation of a contract involving a road under construction in the capital. The move by the top official is said to have split top engineers involved in the project who accuse the official of trying to shortchange them. There are allegations that the engineers put their bid for a share of the variation but the top official rejected it, triggering a standoff.
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A CEO of a parastatal who stepped in after his predecessor was hounded out of office over graft claims is a man under siege. The soft-spoken boss is worried that his former boss may find his way back to office to complete his term in the wake of reports that the corruption case against him was crumbling. The prosecution is said to have hit a wall and there are clear indications the charges may be withdrawn in the coming weeks. The acting official, who now fears his succession game plan may flop, has resorted to some clandestine ways of making quick money. There are claims that he has acquired some property around Upper Hill in the few months he has been acting.