Corridors of Power | The Star, Kenya

If you at any time imagined that Mount Kenya region lacks leaders to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta upon his exit, think again. Sources whispered to Corridors that the re-emergence of former presidential candidates Peter Kenneth (pictured) and Martha Karua was not by accident. The two appeared at a press conference yesterday to defend the president against the new political onslaught. In fact, the leaders made it clear Uhuru is not a lame-duck president. It is whispered that the region’s political elite are regrouping and a new supremo will soon emerge. With the push to amend the Constitution and expand the executive, it is these individuals who will negotiate with key opposition leaders ahead of the 2022 polls.

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A controversial East African Legislative Assembly member is at it again. The man is said to be planning street protests against President Uhuru Kenyatta. He’s said to be part of a team that insists Uhuru must honour his pledge to back DP William Ruto. As part of the strategy, the man and other politicians are said to be quietly mobilising behind-the-scenes for the anti-Uhuru narrative that Central Kenya has been neglected developmentwise in favour of NASA zones. It is said he is now a marked man in Uhuru’s inner circle.

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Just what is a senior police officer up to? The man is reportedly among individuals being used to intimidate some suppliers at St Mary’s Mission Hospital. It is reported that the senior cop, a darling of many journalists, has been shielding an auctioneer from arrest after he issued bouncing cheques on behalf of the hospital to a supplier. Those in the know say the top cop blocked some investigating officers from arresting the auctioneer. Last June, the same officer shielded the auctioneer from arrest by anti-banking fraud officers after one of the auctioneer’s bank accounts was frozen in suspicion of fraud. The auctioneer, it is claimed, is one of the people who have run down St Mary’s Mission Hospital by failing to pay suppliers despite being been tasked by the management to do so.

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Anxiety has gripped four city bloggers affiliated to Jubilee Party following the surprise resignation of party vice chairperson David Murathe. The bloggers had been retained as attack dogs against DP William Ruto. They are no longer sure of their daily bread. They include a lady attached to a regional body and a vocal city lawyer. The two enjoy massive followers on social media where they post anti-Ruto sentiments on a daily basis. As they ponder what next, it’s whispered that Ruto’s digital soldiers are preparing an elaborate communication machine.