Drama in government Whatsapp group over prominent blogger’s defection
Speaking of bloggers, a social media post by a prominent one who was until recently a supporter of the opposition coalition before being lured by a top official at a considerable fee has caused a virtual civil war in a State-leaning WhatsApp group. The vocal influencer is said to have wished ill-luck to an influential individual so that the position could be taken over by someone else. The comment irked those in the group—who include Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries — with some blaming the big man who hired the defector for instigating the comments considered to be in bad taste.
(Not) coming to America
As the president starts his trip to the United States on May 23, our snitch says some important officials who were expected to travel in the delegation, including those whose dockets are relevant to various scheduled deals and discussions, could be left behind after being quietly barred by the host country. Talk of Town has learnt that getting travel approval has not been easy for those deemed to have past and present integrity questions. While some officials were eventually given the greenlight by Uncle Sam after long delays, others have not been so lucky and have either planned a activities locally to coincide with the visit or gone quiet.
Man with big car and small ideas
An MP from Nyanza shocked a parliamentary committee recently during consideration of budget estimates for the National Police Service by calling on the police to always clear traffic for luxury cars. The MP who arrived late for the meeting blamed heavy traffic jam in the city for not making it on time and called on the Inspector General of Police to always clear the road for him so that he can arrive at meetings on time. For good measure, he mentioned that he drives a Jaguar. The man also called on the Inspector General to go for benchmarking in the US on how to manage traffic jam.
Ex-MP turns into blogger
A former MP from Mt Kenya who lost in the last General Election has turned himself into a ring leader of bloggers hired to propagate narratives of a senior political figure currently in the eye of a major political storm. The ex-lawmaker, who was more visible in the last Parliament than his now benefactor, is said to be under instructions to cobble a team of bloggers to firefight for the big man. The former MP is said to have gone broke, forcing him to take up the low-profile assignment. He is said to be busy recruiting bloggers, mostly those who worked for former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration.
Gag order to save troubled governor
A senior political leader reportedly hosted one of the strategic county assembly’s leadership at his office in Nairobi where he is said to have cautioned them against being critical of the governor. The politician whose coalition has sizeable number in the assembly has also reached out to his MCAs to go slow on the county boss, who curiously does not belong to his party. The directive has, however, not gone down well with some of the MCAs who feel that their oversight roles are being forcefully taken away from them through the backdoor. The politician has also urged his MPs in that county and senators not to attack the governor.
Stingy politician’s surprise generosity
A lawmaker from Rift Valley holding an influential position is said to have become liquid all of a sudden going by his recent behaviour of hopping from one bar to another and buying all patrons alcohol. The politician— previously known to be very mean with his money, according to his friends — has been frequenting clubs in his county, where he has surprised revellers by paying up their bills. The new level of generosity has triggered questions about his source of money since he has never been known to have that kind of money