Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka may have delivered 53 per cent of the Yes vote in Ukambani but his future looks bleak, some of the MPs allied to him were overheard saying. They expressed concern that the nascent alliance between Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his deputy Uhuru Kenyatta spelt doom for their man and that Kalonzo may have to switch camps if the alliance takes shape.
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An MP from Nyanza is breathing a sigh of relief after police arrested a contractor who has been extorting money from him. The MP gave the contractor seed money to start his business only for the man to refuse to pay back. Instead, the contractor conspired with a Migori-based lawyer to forge court papers, which claimed the MP had been sued for a number of offences. The lawyer then opted to negotiate an "out of court settlement" on condition that the MP made a down payment of Sh100,000, which the MP did. But even before the "negotiations" started, the lawyer and the contractor demanded another payment of Sh50,000 which the MP paid on the understanding that the matter will end after the negotiations are completed. Only after he had parted with the money did the MP bother to check the authenticity of the court papers. He discovered that the papers had been forged and there was no such case against him in a Kisii court as claimed by the lawyer.
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A Makadara parliamentary aspirant ran into trouble with Prime Minister Raila Odinga's security guards when he attempted to pay the PM an unannounced visit in the early hours of the morning. Raila's security blocked the man from entering the PM's Karen home. They told the mheshimiwa wannabe that their boss was asleep and it would be rude to wake him up. We have been told the man wanted to report an ODM Cabinet minister whom he claims has conned him out of millions of shillings in the last few months.
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Former Nyakach MP Peter Odoyo has been hoping and waiting for an appointment as a diplomat. Those close to him say the former MP was promised a diplomatic posting, which has yet to materialise. They now suspect that someone in the government is deliberately placing hurdles in the way.
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An MP from South Nyanza lost his cool on Monday night because he was not named to the Cabinet during the mini-reshuffle. The MP had reportedly invested quite a bit of his fortune and hope in another MP who was supposed to "broker" the appointment for him. Apart from monetary persuasion, the MP had also bought the 'broker' several expensive suits from Dubai, to urge him on!
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A group of Rift Valley MPs who campaigned for the proposed constitution against the wishes of their constituents are hoping to switch sides. The group is looking for an opportunity when they can ditch Prime Minister Raila Odinga and reinvent themselves by throwing their support behind Higher Education minister and Raila's estranged deputy ODM party leader William Ruto's team.
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A first time MP in Ukambani keen on boosting his profile has been attending funds drives where he donates money claiming he has been sent by big time politicians. The ruse might work for the hoi polloi but some of his political rivals are considering exposing him. The latest such announcement, which has raised suspicion from his rivals, is his recent donation of Sh50,000, which he claimed was from Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.
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A Cabinet minister has installed a CCTV camera in both his private and government offices to capture on tape some members of a parliamentary committee who are fond of blackmailing ministers to part with cash to stop the committee from 'probing' them. One of the MPs who is a member of the committee has reportedly been getting huge amounts from ministers, Somali and Indian businessmen by claiming he has a dossier on their activities, which they do not want exposed.
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The increasing closeness between Prime Minister Raila Odinga's wife Ida and former Starehe MP and assistant minister Bishop Dr Margaret Wanjiru is causing concerns among some in the ODM hierarchy. They feel that the Jesus is Alive Ministries' bishop had shown party disloyalty by ganging up with the No team and therefore should be sidelined. They feel the party would not be able to 'bully her out' if she continued building up on her links with Ida.
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Speculation that suspended managing director David Waweru might be reinstated caused a panic in some quarters at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation yesterday after the Corridors of Power tidbit. But some of those who claim to be in the know say the speculation was a test balloon to see how his reinstatement would be received. "A rumour is sometimes just a rumour but sometimes it's spread for a reason," one of them told Corridors.
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Love of speed is not confined to rally freaks with souped up cars. Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi's four-car convoy yesterday whizzed at nearly 180 kph from Nakuru to Nairobi. Motorists, including those travelling at a comfortable 140 kph on the smooth highway were left behind as the convoy zigzagged out of sight within a minute. Mudavadi had just left a Local Government meeting in Nakuru at 11 am and was headed to Nairobi to attend the joint ODM/PNU parliamentary group meeting. His escorts who were in one of the cars leading the convoy intimidated and harassed slow driving motorists to move to the side and let the convoy pass. They terrified drivers by pointing fingers at those who hesitated to give way. Maximum speed on Kenyan roads for private cars is 110kph.
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A senior Cabinet Minister keen on contesting the Presidency in 2012 has now ordered two choppers for his campaigns. The two ex-Russian choppers are expected in the country mid next year just in time for the man to hit to the skies as he starts his campaigns. The minister has intimated that his plan B is to go for the deputy president's position.
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A powerful Cabinet minister from the Rift Valley has made matatu owners look up. He has bought 18 brand new mini-buses, painted them the regulation white colour and registered them to operate the Kitengela and Ongata Rongai routes. Traffic policemen operating along these two routes have been discreetly warned to lay off and not to interfere with the new fleet of matatus.
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Professor George Saitoti who is not known to speak in vernacular — either Maa or Kikuyu — surprised many when he opted to greet a Yes campaign rally at Kirigiti Stadium in Kikuyu. Saitoti had accompanied President Kibaki. The 'lapse' was not a mistake. Saitoti, who is considered one of the possible presidential candidates in 2012, spoke in Kikuyu because he wanted the people to realise that he is one of them. Saitoti later explained that his mother was a Kikuyu and his father a Maasai. But the lapse' did not go down well with some of the PNU people who wondered why Saitoti always uses the services of a translator when speaking to his Maa constituents.
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Speculation is rife that suspended KBC managing director David Waweru might soon return to his old job. Waweru was suspended last month over a World Cup broadcasting deal that went bad. The board is yet to decide if they will reinstate Waweru to his job but even before the board's decision is known, the rumours have started flying.
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Francis Kimemia, the quietly efficient Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Security, might decide to dive into the stormy political waters. Some of his close associates have intimated that Kimemia might try his luck at one of the 'big seats' in the 2012 elections. The man has however not disclosed his intentions in public and is reportedly waiting for the right time.
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Former Baringo Central MP Gideon Moi is eyeing the seat of senator during the next elections. He will once again be following in the footsteps of his father who served as a member of the Legislative Council representing the Rift Valley in pre-independent Kenya. It seems the younger Moi might have a better chance of becoming a county senator than president — at least for now.
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The much-awaited autobiography of Prime Minister Raila Odinga is soon to be completed and will be launched mid next year. The PM decided to take on the job himself after he fired an assistant he had got to put the memoirs together. The forced rest imposed on him by his doctors gave him time to put down his thoughts, reminiscences and views before they are handed over to professional editors.
The Star Corridors of Power Political Gossip
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