Political 411: Paranoid politician shuffles security
An influential politician, who has opened wars on many fronts, recently ordered an overhaul of his security to minimise leaks about his moves. The man is said to have become increasingly paranoid and started by redeploying security officers who are from other ethnic communities, whom he suspects have been sharing information on his political manoeuvres. His long-time head of security was the biggest casualty after he was redeployed to man a roadblock in a far-flung Rift Valley county. Our source says the overhaul was triggered by the leader’s recent puzzling defiant actions that signaled he was unhappy.
Money and power
Top executives of some State agencies are under pressure to open accounts in a private bank. The executives were told to move the cash to the new accounts in the institution where a senior politician has allegedly acquired a stake through proxies. The bank has been struggling but is likely to see it fortunes turn around following the entry of the big man and other investors. However, some chief executive officers have declined the directive as such a move requires full board approval.
Jobs for the boys with connections
Officials of an autonomous State agency are disgruntled following recent events where a list of new recruits was said to have been interfered with. Although the agency had advertised for more than 60 slots, shortlisted and interviewed the candidates, the HR department realised that the hiring was being influenced from outside by a powerful operative. A new list was introduced and the agency bosses were instructed to issue letters in line with the list and ignore those who had successfully applied and interviewed. Some of the beneficiaries did not meet basic requirements with reports that the matter may end up in court soon and embarrass the boss who ordinarily ought to stick to his independence that is guaranteed by law.
Curious night visit to contested land
Some guards were recently shocked to see a big man drive to a controversial piece of land in Kilimani area and inspect it at night. The land in question is valued at almost Sh500 million now and is contested between the original owner and new ones who are said to have the big man’s blessings. The guards were chased out of the land days later despite a court order in place requiring status quo to remain. It is only a matter of time before the issue explodes in public as the aggrieved party has vowed to “make some noise”.
US travel woes for top officials
The recent State visit by President William Ruto to America has left some senior officials in an awkward situation. As our mole told us last week, some of those whose dockets were at the centre of big deals in Washington and Atlanta, were forced to remain behind after they were quietly denied visas because of integrity issues. But it was even worse for one power man who had initially been assured by influential individuals that he would get approval despite questions raised about him. Long story short, he watched events from Nairobi even as he tried to keep himself busy to mask the disappointment.