Ex-governor's bid to wire Sh2.5bn stashed abroad flops

A former governor is at a crossroads after security agencies intercepted communication between his henchmen and staffers of a local NGO in a scheme to transfer Sh2.5 billion from the US. The money, which the man is said to have stashed abroad, was supposed to be wired in bits before the 2022 election. It is exclusive of shares the fellow holds in a prestigious UK football club. The plan was that the NGO retains 15 per cent for its use; 10 per cent for the man who brokered the deal, and the rest would go to the ex-county boss. This has exposed the task awaiting IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati in enforcing campaign financing laws.

Still on campaign financing, a top parastatal official is on the spot for misuse of government resources to run for MP in 2022. The man has been using government vehicles assigned to him to campaign across a vast South Nyanza constituency. Government hand wash tanks, sanitiser and face masks have also come in handy. Locals, however, believe that the man is a stooge of the area MP who is keen on using him to lock out a frontrunner in the duel. They want the ministry to rein in the man, who is using irrigation schemes to woo voters.

Just what happened to a vocal politician who had been a key figure in the 2022 Uhuru Kenyatta succession debate? Well, it is emerging the man, whose activities had generated heat in the political circles, may have been gagged. The fellow, having touched a raw nerve, was called by the powers that be and ordered to stop giving remarks or insinuations on "matters he knows nothing about". Stung by the salvo, the fellow with deep pockets has been sending apologies through emissaries and SMS to those he may have wronged.

A deputy governor from Western is a disappointed man after realising that his boss may endorse another successor in the 2022 race. Initially, it was believed that the governor would endorse the man but that seems not to be the case. The sudden change of heart by the county chief has left tongues wagging as the two have been known for their cordial working relationship unlike in many counties where governors are always fighting with their deputies. The heartbroken deputy is said to have returned to the drawing board to make new plans for his first stab.