Corridor of Power | The Star, Kenya

Top officials of a county in Nyanza are in panic after the Senate Public Accounts Committee wrote to them demanding proof that the devolved unit's budget were approved in line with the Constitution. The budget making process in the county is said to have been an affair between the executive and MCA's only. At no time was the public engaged for their views before the budget was passed as required by law. Those involved have constituted a team with a view to meeting some PAC members with the hope they'll go slow on the budget queries. Our mole says the officials have set aside some millions to ensure the Senate PAC does not make good its threat of slapping the county with sanctions, a move that they fear would be disastrous for their political ambitions.

One of Kenya's oldest public university's is in the eye of a storm. Why? Sources whispered to Corridors that top management of the institution occasionally converse in vernacular during official meetings. This is because the top management right from the Vice Chancellor comes from one community. Its said that the deputy vice chancellor academics and that of administration as well as Finance and Procurement directors both come from the same tribe. Some insiders are asking where is the face of Kenya? There is more concern since the appointment of the VC was seen to have been influenced by other factors other than merit. Concerned staff are asking University Education Principal Secretary Collette Suda and CS Amina Mohammed to intervene.

Hundreds of police officers whose positions were scrapped with the sweeping reforms in the National Police Service are a worried lot. A mole has whispered that most of the affected officers were sent on compulsory leave immediately the President announced the reforms. Last week, some of the officers reported to Jogoo House after being out on leave for three months, only to be turned away by their seniors. The mole revealed that the officers were asked to continue 'enjoying' their leave because IG Joseph Boinnet was still looking for a suitable places for them. Both the President and Boinnet had assured that not a single officer will lose his job a result of the reforms. Is it a case of a done deal for the affected officers? Well, time will tell.

A seasoned politician from the diaspora seeking to be Kisii governor in the 2022 general election is in premature campaigns laced with lethal propaganda. The politician has been crisscrossing the county condemning the leadership of Governor James Ongwae for perpetuating graft but without providing any proof. While many residents hold the view that the governor, in his second and last term, has made tremendous strides in developing the county, the politician appears to be stoking embers with his deliberate misinformation and half-truths in a bid to win over voters. However, the source of his funds which he has been dishing out during harambees and funerals has come under sharp focus given his modest earnings. Trying to set a high record of donations, the politician has been dishing out huge amounts of money. There is talk that he runs some underground deals to make money.