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Power blackout during Big Man’s speech causes furore

Incompetence, technical glitch, sabotage? Heads could roll.

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by GORDON OSEN

News26 February 2024 - 01:59
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In Summary


  • • A likely loser in a professional lobby race is handing out inducements to make his rival’s supporters jump ship.
  • • A top state corporation in the money sector plans to give a lucrative contract to a firm dogged by integrity concerns.
Who's doing what to whom, why, when where and how.

Is the government planning to take drastic action against top Kenya Power officials and senior Ministry of Energy officers following an "embarrassment" caused by a power blackout during a speech by a big man at a recent heavily televised event? Corridors overheard that some heads could roll after the incident. Junior officers have already expressed fears that they could be targeted to save their bosses. They say a majority of the top guns are in good books with the state.

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A leading state corporation in the money sector is about to hand over a lucrative contract to a firm dogged by integrity concerns. Corridors of Power is told that the state agency has handed the firm a notice of action on the active tender, the same in the latter’s favour. However, those keen on the process say there is a red flag in the move, citing the ongoing inspections into the firm’s dealings with the agency. The big question is why the rush and whether everyone at the agency has been granted a say on the latest moves.

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As the race for a top position a professional lobby goes to the wire this week, we are told one of the contenders staring at a likely loss has resorted to offering inducements to supporters of his main rival to jump ship. The vote will happen later this week. Corridors is informed the man has tried to pull every trick in the book, including targeting naïve new entrants into the profession. All has not seemed to work the magic.

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Why has a state agency responsible for selecting learners to key institutions reportedly offered such poor service to its clients, with its servers seemingly always down when the deadline for a key process is elapsing? Could this confirm the claims that the server hosting tender was given to an entity without adequate capacity, leaving poor applicants to bear the brunt of never-working systems? Who will rescue the helpless public who seem to have no one to turn to?

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