A Kenyan deputy head of mission in Europe appears to be annoying Kenyans in the country. At a time when the Parliamentary Budget Office is calling on embassies to reduce rent and host fewer diplomats – which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has opposed — the diplomat is said to be living large.He is said to be living in a house costing millions of shillings, its driveway decorated with new top-of-the-range vehicles. This is despite the mission, Corridors is told, doing very little to help Kenyans, especially in need of consular services. Is this diplomat out there serving or living life in the fast lane on the taxpayers' purse? CS Raychelle Omamo (pictured) needs to put her house in order.
***
The gubernatorial candidature of a former provincial administrator is taking a Northern Kenya county by storm. The veteran administrator is threatening to destabilise the clan political matrix, to the chagrin of heavyweight rivals. It has emerged that despite the powerful elders selecting a legislative leader in 'negotiated democracy', the man is said to be planning a major political earthquake. His growing popularity is said to have triggered cracks among the elders. Some openly back his election. With the elders, a linchpin in the leading legislator's support, now divided down the middle, the former state officer could be a headed for a sweet victory that will erode clan power.
***
Is an ODM Member of Parliament from Nyanza so happy that he's comfortable with an ODM boss Raila Odinga-backed county power sharing deal? The lawmaker is said to have confided in his political advisers he considers his reelection almost certain and he will not waste any resources to campaign on August 9. Interestingly, the MP who recently bought a luxury apartment in a posh Nairobi estate, could face a reelection threat from a rival planning to run as an independent. The aspirant, who has dismissed any fears he will be wasting money, has erected big billboards across the constituency. Whether the incumbent will weather what is seen as a formidable challenge is a matter that will come to the fore in the fullness of time.
***
A meeting of a key clan in Mandera shocked many when elders turned it into a cheeringleading moment for Interior CS Fred Matiang'i. The elders celebrated that they now sleep in peace in well-lit villages after security lights were put up. Although the meeting in Lafey constituency was convened to endorse a Nairobi county chief officer as the next MP, praises for the Interior boss were louder and clearer. Although many invited guests had been amused, it turned out the area had been peaceful for sometime. Indeed, kings are celebrated elsewhere. Would Matiang'i make efforts to visit there and witness for himself?
(Edited by V. Graham)
