Corridors of Power

The upcoming by-election in Ganda ward in Kilifi Constituency set for next week is giving sleepless nights to not only Orange Democratic Movement, but also area MP Aisha Jumwa who has technically ditched the Orange party. A small bird in the constituency has told Corridors that the two sides are not leaving anything to chance as it is a contest to test political popularity ahead of 2022. The vocal Aisha, who is also a Parliamentary Service Commissioner, has been missing in action on national politics and is said to have been campaigning day and night for her candidate to avoid embarrassment.

A former MP from Nyanza has been in a celebratory mood for the last three weeks. A former friend turned foe who played a critical role in the former legislator’s short-lived political career was among the suspects arrested over the Sh 4.1 billion Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) mall probe. At some point, the man had engineered political wars that almost put the legislator in trouble with the sponsoring party. Since the LBDA suspects were charged, the former MP and the man have been in a bitter spat in a WhatsApp group. Those in the know have told Corridors that the war of words between the two is degenerating by the day and shaping up to epic revenge.

Still on matters to do with Nyanza region, Corridors has learnt of an MP and a close friend who have become brokers for contractors in the constituency. The lawmaker has conspired to award National Government Constituency Development Fund tenders to unqualified contractors. Residents say the MP has been awarding tenders to contractors who have no capacity and end up doing shoddy work. It is rumoured that the pair receive millions in kickbacks. Their pleas to the MP to stop the bad habits seem to have fallen on the deaf ears and their prayers now are to Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to probe the legislator over NG-CDF tenders in the constituency.

Why would a mere aide of a senior government official cause an MP from Western Kenya to have sleepless nights?  The legislator has even gone to the extent of hiring spies to monitor the aide’s every move in his constituency. Someone whispered to Corridors that the MP just realised that the aide is considering joining politics and will enter the parliamentary race in 2022. It is understood that the said aide has been very successful at making inroads in the legislator’s strongholds in the constituency, causing the MP unimaginable discomfort.