Personal interest and bribery allegations are promising to tear apart the Kisumu County Assembly Service Board over the recruitment of the assembly clerk. Our mole says the interviews for the job were done on February 10, but an appointment has yet to be made due to a vicious internal tussle into which the executive has been sucked. On one side are forces supporting a candidate known to be a businessman and rumoured to be politically connected within the county. On the other hand are forces pushing for a current county officer. However, the differences have since become public and attracted the attention of anti-graft crusaders. Those in the know say the recruitment may not end well for those involved if not professionally concluded. Some individuals are whispered to have contacted the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission headed by Twalib Mbarak to probe the matter.
**
A political broker from Mt Kenya is positioning himself for a parliamentary seat. A decade after he was defeated by a political neophyte, the politician wants to make a comeback to elective politics. While his stint as the chairperson of an influential parastatal was riddled by mega scandals, the ex-MP claims he wants to represent his people. However, his rivals want to send a petition to anti-graft detectives in the coming days to call for a thorough probe into his suspicious wealth. The former lawmaker has a massive investment in real estate and the energy sector and controls a huge stake in a petroleum firm. Will the politician survive the latest onslaught by his competitors that seeks to quash his bid for the parliamentary seat? Only time will tell.
**
A principal secretary in one of the ministries has been put on the spot after staff in her department raised concerns over her ethnic bias in staff posting. The lady who enjoys a good relationship with powerful individuals in government has been reportedly been shuffling staff across the department and placing members of her community in strategic positions like procurement and finance. Recently, she moved two officials to the procurement department saying she was executing orders from a powerful state official. The two are said to be her proxies in that department. It's whispered that they have already influenced the award of a lucrative tender worth millions of shillings without following due process. A little bird has whispered to us that the tender was awarded to a company that was not the lowest bidder.
**
There is disquiet in a government ministry, with junior officers complaining that a top official is forcing them to join a certain Sacco. One junior officer told Corridors he has applied for a loan, but it cannot be approved simply because he is not a member of the Sacco. He revealed that even the payroll office has refused to variate his contributions so he can increase savings. He said it does not make sense to force people to join a specific Sacco, yet the cooperative movement is democratic. The matter is said to be spiralling out of control. Even some senior officers are now bearing the brunt of his directive.
