Has a governor and an MP from a county in western Kenya thawed their frosty relationship? The two politicians were all smiles last weekend when they both attended a football tournament in the county. The tournament was sponsored by a flashy lawmaker whose constituency straddles the county's capital town. Many were taken aback by the two's appearance after months of vicious political attacks targeting each other. What is not clear is whether they have buried the hatched and decided to work together for the long haul. Does this signal good days of political tranquility ahead? Only time will tell.
***
Still in Western, a referral hospital in one of the counties is on the spotlight over alleged poor service delivery. A staffer revealed that the facility supposedly no longer provides radiology and ICU services. ICU services are said to have been suspended under the pretext that the facility needs to be rehabilitated. The oxygen plant, which also cost the county millions of shillings, reportedly does not operate to the maximum forcing the facility to source the service from outside. The governor has been reportedly promising to increase own source revenue but the county is losing millions of shillings as patients seek services elsewhere.
***
The top boss of a constitutional commission is reportedly participating in almost all development projects in his home county. The man is said to be nursing ambitions for the governor's seat in 2027, hence his reason for pumping millions of shillings into community projects in order to endear himself to voters. Leaders who are also eying the seat are uncomfortable and have been, in public functions, supposedly questioning the source of the man’s sudden wealth. One was overheard whispering how he fears the kind of competition that is looming in the duel.
***
A massive protest looms in a county in Nyanza over the conduct of a governor’s aide. The aide, who’s the county boss’s spanner boy, has been allegedly demanding huge bribes, ostensibly for his boss, from every contractor who wins a tender. The habit has reportedly angered many contractors who have been forced to fork out millions of shillings. The lot is now planning a mega protest outside the county offices to demand the man’s sacking. However, some insiders say the man is very powerful with those who have attempted to touch him before supposedly suspended or dismissed altogether from work.