CORRIDORS OF POWER

Has President Uhuru Kenyatta held private talks with ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi? We are told that the two held a long meeting sometime at Karen gold glub before the president attended the prize presentation ceremony of Kenya Open. It is not clear what the two discussed but those in the know have told us that a deal was agreed during that meeting. Next time you see Mudavadi attending government functions and touring Kenyatta's territory take note.

A Cabinet Secretary is a woman on a mission. The CS has been telling her staff to ensure that she gets to page one coverage in all newspapers. The  CS believes she is photogenic and what she says most of the time is newsworthy. Her media officers on the other and think she doesn't make the news, is not attractive enough to cameras and she dresses like a chameleon! The minister has threatened to fire all her media people if they do not ensure she is on page one often.

A senior legal officer in a parastatal under the Ministry of Agriculture could soon find himself in trouble. The long-serving officer, according to our mole at the institution, recently assaulted and verbally attacked a businessman who had visited his office seeking payments for services he recently offered. The officer is said to have confronted the renowned businessman, hurling all sorts of abuses at him. He pushed the man out of his office and threatened to 'teach him a lesson' if he continued demanding the payment. The businessman is now planning to take legal action against the officer.

Just what powers do some senior government officials think they hold? Recently, one caused drama at a high-end medical facility after he refused to pay Sh300 in parking fees for his guzzler and chase cars. The hospital charges the fee as long as one park at its designated bays. The officer stood his ground and caused a traffic gridlock blocking the movement of cars into and out of the hospital, which eventually waived the fee to avoid inconveniencing other clients. Staffs at the hospital were heard cursing the state officer saying he should appreciate that time would one day see him exit the privileged position.

A vocal MP from Rift Valley who is a member of the Tangatanga team has slowed down his political activities complaining that the war on graft had caused his money taps to go dry. This was after all the deals he had hoped to reap from were put on hold. The MP has cancelled more than 15 harambees he had lined up in his constituency in the last two months. He has been avoiding political forums saying without money he did not even have the energy to address any meeting. The MP was also overhead at a drinking joint saying he silently supports the proposed bill by Suba South MP John Mbadi seeking to have those contributing more than Sh100,000 in harambees to declare the source of such monies. The lawmaker complains that with the cash taps running dry, he would find it hard to give out more than the Sh200,000 he could raise before.

A scandal is brewing at a state corporation in the health sector. Those in the know say a manager of one of the main branches in Nairobi has been forcing several hospitals in the area to part with some little cash before processing their requests. In the Nairobi branch, two ladies, of whom one who is a daughter of a Chief Administrative Secretary has been using her fathers’ position to intimidate some senior managers. The lady has reportedly forced them not to approve requests from certain facilities within Nairobi who are offering specialized services. This has forced some facilities to turn away clients seeking services using smart cards. The facility owners now want the management of the institution to investigate the claims and sack those corrupt staff.