The camps and divisions in State House Continued

Those privy to the goings-on at state house say the president is now seriously concerned about the public image of his administration and developed cold feet the moment he heard Mwiraria's voice on the tape and threw the reshuffle list in the dustbin explaining that his many political foes would capitalize on the move and depict his government as tolerant to graft.

More still: do they have the stomach of painting their own government dirty in the name of safeguarding their positions as Kimunya did? Had Mwiraria come back to the cabinet, Kimunya would have gone back to his lands ministry which Kibaki has left vacant in what watchers say is anticipation for the return of his old friend Mwiraria with whom they started at Makerere university in the 1960's, to the Treasury. The lands ministry is now under Kivutha Kibwana in an acting capacity. Kibwana is also the minister for environment.

And so while the government defenders were up in arms against opposition accusing it of being behind the Mwiraria tapes, it seems likely they would have been better off remembering the Swahili saying: kikulacho ki nguoni mwako (what bites you is in your clothes).

In his single-minded bid to safeguard his position by any means necessary, Kimunya did more damage to the government than the opposition has ever done in its openly declared scheme to finish the government.

Of those named in the Anglo Leasing scam it was only Mwiraria who stepped down voluntarily and dared his accusers to prove their case against him.

Apart from using Githongo to fight his perceived political opponents, Kimunya, it is said, had also been using the former PS believed by many to have been a British/US spy in Kibaki's government, to release information to Githongo which he then uses liberally as his fancy deems making himself a small hero of sorts especially in the western world.

In November last year for instance, Kimunya reportedly gave CBK senior staffer Rose Detho a confidential PriceWaterHouse report on Charter House and instructed her to take it to Githongo in London.

It has not been established whether it was Githongo who asked for the report or whether it was Kimunya's idea.

With Githongo now having become more like a weapon of mass destruction for the Kibaki administration, it is said, both opposition and politicians in government who have an axe to grind with their foes in government are now queuing to have him release dossiers to them.

Soon, it is said, Awori's enemies will be laughing as Githongo is believed to have a tape of the VP as well that might leave Awori a punctured man politically speaking. Some even claim lightly that the ever conniving alleged British spy might for all you know have taped President Kibaki if ever he had found an opportunity.

This will come as sweet music to Saitoti whom pundits say is not beyond commissioning Githongo to release the tapes and once and for all wipe the smile off the famed uncle Moody Awori whose tenure has seen him become a darling of prisoners who would all gladly vote for him if they had a chance.