Talk of Town: County assembly bosses clash over spoils, politician stung by snub

Event delivered, but where’s the pay?

The celebrations are over, the speeches delivered and the guests gone home. But for members of a committee that organised a recently publicised event, the drama is far from over. Grumbling has erupted over allowances, with some members complaining of unpaid dues. Yet they fear confronting the master and are left chasing money long after the applause has faded. The event may have been a success, depending on one’s perspective, but discontent clouds the aftermath. In a curious twist, the only thing still running after the show is over is the allowance dispute.
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Magistrate hunts for missing file

Drama unfolded at a Nairobi court when a magistrate adjourned proceedings to personally hunt for a missing file in a case involving a Kenyan living abroad who accuses a businessman of swindling him of millions. Three weeks earlier, a court administrator had assured the complainant that the file had been found and safely kept. After a lengthy wait, the magistrate finally located it, only for the accused businessman to seek an adjournment to file his defence. The request was granted, but the court ordered him to reimburse the complainant’s transport costs.

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Money-hungry House gatekeeper targeted

Is a powerful gatekeeper on one of Parliament’s influential committees running out of headroom? The official has alienated lawmakers, secretariat staff and journalists with her contemptuous attitude. Critics accuse her of crossing the line with witnesses, allegedly promising them “protection” in exchange for favours. Journalists also resent her frosty reception, which leaves reporters feeling unwelcome. Her colleagues are now determined to oust her from the committee’s inner workings. Her perceived closeness to parliamentary leadership has been her main shield, but they vow to use every means to dislodge her.
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County assembly bosses clash over spoils

A county assembly Speaker from the Eastern region is reportedly at odds with his deputy and the majority leader over alleged lucrative deals and kickbacks linked to assembly business. The two allies accuse the Speaker of shutting them out of the spoils, while he is said to be increasingly wary of their demands and influence over key decisions. The dispute, once discreet, is threatening to spill into the open, with whispers of shifting loyalties. For now, the three leaders remain tight-lipped, but the battle over the assembly’s spoils could soon become public.
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Politician gutted by cold reception

A senior politician is reportedly regretting ever attending a recent event after what she perceived as a cold reception from her hosts. Having enjoyed a close working relationship with the organisers, she had expected to be accorded special treatment. Instead, she felt conspicuously overlooked, leaving her close aides struggling to understand the apparent snub. Their biggest question is: why treat her that way, when “she stood with the pillar of the family when he needed her most”?
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Tough re-election math for governor 

A governor in one of the country’s politically critical counties is said to be a worried man as his re-election calculations reportedly begin to unravel. The first-term county chief is said to have confided in close aides that shifting political alliances and increasingly complex succession calculations could be working against him. With the 2027 contest drawing closer and the political ground becoming less predictable, the governor is reportedly beginning to question whether his path to a second term is as secure as he had hoped, even as some influential political families are alleged to be receiving money from him in exchange for promises of support.