Nairobi Star Political Gossip

Kenyan athletes known to revel in sipping 'mursik' (Kalenjin traditional sour milk) to celebrate at the end of a successful race were disappointed when German-authorities refused to allow the gourds containing the milk into their country! Unable to meet the cost of having it destroyed in Germany, the Kenya sporting authorities organised to have the milk airlifted back home.

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The brother of former Information minister Mutahi Kagwe is being wooed to unseat Kieni MP Nemesyus Warugongo. Dan Kagwe, a business-man in Uganda is said to have already bought a big chunk of land near the Ark Hotel in Kieni East district in readiness for making his political debut.

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Was Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Mutula Kilonzo kept in the dark in the reappointment of Aaron Ringera as KACC boss? We hear Mutula was taken by surprise when Kibaki made the announcement. Mutula was in the process of engaging the KACC board to come up with transparent process. The affable minister has since been avoiding calls especially from journalists.

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We hear that a returning officer in one of the two constituencies which had a by-election behaved himself so exemplary that a commissioner at the NEC called him to warn him against granting interviews to journalists and observers. The commissioner was not amused that the returning officer was 'stealing the show' from the IIEC

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We are told that Committee of Experts vice chair Atsango Chesoni's comments that the commission will not be cowed "no matter how much money they offer us in secret little meetings" should not be treated lightly — even though Atsango was speaking in a light hearted manner. So, are there people seeking to compromise the commissioners?

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MPs will now be provided with job cards to identify themselves when accessing-Parliament Buildings. The decision follows frequent embarrassment caused to the legislators by guards from the Sergeant-at-Arms office who recently manhandled one of the lesser known MPs from Eastern Province. Some of the MPs have said it would be easier to relegate the ignorant and arrogant security officers who are not trained in handling VIPs.

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A top-level member of the Pentagon who campaigned vigorously for ODM has been overheard telling friends at a restaurant in the Hotel Intercontinental that he would have been in Kamiti if Prime Minister Raila Odinga had won the 2007 presidential elections. The man said recent developments in the party would have seen him thrown in jail by now!

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The GSU officers guarding VIPs who live at the headquarters in Nairobi are protesting a move by deputy commanding officer Job Buroyo to move them from their current houses at the Drive In Estate to the headquarters. The 200 or so families are concerned that they will be leaving their spacious homes for cramped houses at the headquarters.

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Internal Security minister George Saitoti has been meeting with National Heritage minister William ole Ntimama to ask him to rally the Maasai MPs to support his presidential bid in 2012. We are told Ntimama gave Saitoti one condition — he must remain firm in supporting the eviction of settlers from the Mau Complex to win that support.