CORRIDORS OF POWER | The Star, Kenya

A magistrate in Western Kenya is on the spot over bribery allegations. The randy magistrate allegedly received Sh3 million from an inmate’s relatives to aid in bribing another magistrate in Nairobi over a case that involved a former union official. Shockingly for the family, the suspect was jailed. The angry family is now on the magistrate’s case demanding back their money. Sources familiar with the deal told Corridors the man under siege has reportedly refunded less than Sh1 million in instalments. The family has been waiting for the balance in vain and now plan to petition Chief Justice David Maraga for action.

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A looming political war between a governor and senator from a Nyanza county has threatened to stall a Sh526 million World Bank project, which has been the centre of a political storm. The governor has been accusing the senator of financing a group that sued to stop the project. After successfully convincing a petitioner to drop the case, his office has been faced with a fresh lawsuit against the project from the senator’s backyard. Interestingly, the new suit has been filed by the same law firm, which is associated by the senator in his court process and petitions.

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A senior ODM lawmaker who is close to party leader Raila Odinga is at war with his colleagues. The lawmaker, who has Raila’s ears, has been accused of ‘insulating’ the opposition chief and blocking other parliamentarians from reaching him. The disgruntled MPs, mostly from Northeastern, have now vowed to support rival candidates in the upcoming three by-elections to teach him and the party a lesson. On Monday, a number of ODM members accompanied Jubilee MP Ahmed Kolosh when he presented his nomination papers to the IEBC for clearance. The MPs said the gesture was the beginning of the rebellion in the Orange ship.

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Still on ODM, it looks like the party has yet to learn any lesson on how to effectively handle the infamous cartels who auction certificates to the highest bidder, after the last three elections. While the 2022 election is far off, a senior politician with roots at Orange House is already being accused of using his aides to solicit for money from potential aspirants ahead of the polls, with a promise of being issued with certificates. The aides have mapped out leaders accused of being in ‘tanga tanga’ and are asking their potential rivals to part with money. Two potential ward aspirants said they parted with Sh10,000 and Sh20,000. This raised a storm and resulted in calls to have the officials who were in charge of the last polls replaced in the upcoming party grassroots elections.

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“If something bad smells in the basement, it will  eventually make its way to the attic” — Anthony Liccione