CORRIDORS OF POWER

That President Uhuru Kenyatta is serious about having all Kenyans register for Huduma Namba is not in doubt. However, the way the state is implementing the programme leaves a lot to desired. Lawmakers were overheard asking why Parliament has been assigned more registration machines that are idle yet Kenyans are spending hours in long queues. It can be argued the politicians were just talking but maybe they were right. Another question frequently arises: Was the registration a one-off or a continuous exercise since children are being born every day?

It seems looting at one of the troubled commissions hasn't ended. The commission that has hogged headlines for all the wrong reasons is at it again. Yesterday Corridors learnt three top members of its secretariat were holed up in an emergency meeting to cover up the latest loss of Sh82 million from a commission account at a city bank. This panic surprised commission officials who frequently visit two officials of the EACC. They were later heard bragging that they have the right connections and even if they looted the entire commission they won't be caught or arrested.

A DCI corporal based at DCI offices along Kangundo Road may find himself in hot soup. A woman in Nakuru county wrote to the department complaining that he defrauded her of Sh2 million in order to write a favourable report in a land case he's investigating. The woman, in a letter addressed to the DCI, claims that after she parted with the Sh2 million the officer arrested her over the land issue and demanded Sh5million. He claimed it was for senior officers at DCI headquarters. The woman, who has not parted with the Sh5 million, says she lives in fear as the officer has consistently threatened her.

Are there looming changes to a communications team of a senior government official? Reports indicate that in the last two weeks, the top government official has been pondering how to execute the changes that deploy the current team to other government departments. At the centre of the decision to make the changes is that the team is ineffective and has not helped much in conveying positive messages and press reports. The official is also said to be concerned that the team has been antagonising reporters with their abrasiveness and penchant for gossip. These habits have not helped build a good relationship between journalists and government officials.