Top ODM official sows mistrust, subverts handshake

Is a senior ODM official out to cause more confusion in Raila Odinga's (pictured) Orange party? The high-ranking official has been overheard telling colleagues the party must chart its way out of the handshake with President Uhuru Kenyatta. The official who is said to be well connected allegedly engineered internal confusion recently, casting the party in a bad light. The move reportedly angered the ODM boss who has been avoiding him as the storm rages. In the coming days, the politician could be forced to walk the proverbial straight and narrow as the ODM boss moves to isolate him ahead of 2022. The official is often accused of sacrificing party interests on the altar of personal gratification.

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Are some powerful forces controlling the multibillion-shilling oil industry in the country out to lock out small players? Well, there are indications of a  scheme to introduce radical regulations that would establish a strict oligopoly in the o Kenyan oil market. Part of the plan is to come up with tough laws that will increase the capital required to start the distribution chain of oil-related products. There would also be far-reaching requirements for oil distributors across the country, giving an advantage to specific giant players. The scheme has been linked to well-connected dealers and players with the blessings of influential political movers.

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A public utility that was irregularly brought down even though it was a gazetted national monument is the next frontier of a major scandal. The unauthorised building of a filling station and a hospitality outfit is a cash-cow. It benefits a go-between a figurehead telling bosses at the presidency that he is the John the Baptist between the agency and the biggest office in the land. The contractors on site are part of a cartel of contractors from a particular community whom the Baptist uses to mint money. When the Baptist, who has a pending corruption case in court, is finally removed, the opened a can of worms will be the smelliest ever.

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The chairperson of a key parliamentary committee has been accused by committee members of cosying up with witnesses and compromising investigations. The MP has been cited several times hosting delegations of institutions set to appear before the panel at a popular high-end city hotel. In one instance, the chairman excused himself from the committee during a crucial hearing in which a state agency was making an appearance. The chairman proceeded to meet officials of another agency, which was in line to face the panel. It is not clear what the advance meeting sought to achieve, but members are concerned the move is unethical and non-parliamentary.