CORRIDORS OF POWER

 A former aide of opposition leader Raila Odinga is worming his way back to the inner circle.  The disgraced right-hand man stepped back about two years ago amid claims of fraudulently using the opposition leader's name to con unsuspecting businessmen. The flashy acolyte, who fashions himself as the opposition chief's researcher, is plotting to run for a political seat in the ODM stronghold of Nyanza. His likely opponents have gone out full throttle and have threatened to unleash a dossier against the man they say has been unable to complete his studies despite spending five years on the programme. The critics argue that they also have details of the people he conned using Raila's name. They want to stop him at whatever cost.

The expected award of a multi-million-shilling contract has split the board of directors at a state agency in the energy sector. This follows the board chairman's failure to declare a conflict of interest in the firm that bid the lowest amid claims he could have covertly leaked the specifications. Last week, a board meeting convened by the chairman to seek consensus sparked a storm. The firm being fronted by the chairman is said to have failed the financial evaluation stage despite excelling in technical evaluation. While procurement laws bar tender committees from awarding contracts to firms with questionable financial records, the bully chairman has been pushing that the firm at the centre of the storm is awarded the contract in a clear case of conflict of interest. To make matters worse one of the company directors is his relative.

The sudden rise in popularity of Jubilee secretary general Raphael Tuju in Nyanza region is causing jitters in ODM. The party think tanks are worried that Tuju's rising star and being President Uhuru Kenyatta's point man in the region in as far as development projects are concerned, may soon eclipse some of the region's key politicians who have been positioning themselves to succeed Raila Odinga as the kingpin of Nyanza politics. Just last weekend, those in the know have told Corridors that Sh2 million had to be mobilised and flown in a chopper to counter Tuju's goodies which he is said to be using to endear himself to potential voters in the region.

Did some aide mess up Siaya Senator James Orengo? Last week as governors protested outside the Supreme Court, the Senate minority leader was driven in a few minutes after governors had left. After addressing the media, a man who looked like his bodyguard tried to walk closer to him so he could usher him into his Mercedes Benz. However, the senator rebuked him, saying: "Go to the office and write me a letter explaining where you have been this long." The senator got into the car and left, leaving the aide stranded. A tough disciplinarian you may say.