Often, a slight mispronunciation can result in acute embarrassment, especially if dignitaries are paying keen attention. It happened on Monday when President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Council of Governors led by Wycliffe Oparanya (pictured) hosted a four-hour Covid-19 virtual conference. CSs and representatives of WHO, UNDP and NGOs were there. A key speaker pronounced a word incorrectly, with the wrong vowel, giving a totally different meaning. He emphasised that it’s everyone’s responsibility to fight the pandemic. He intended to say the ‘onus’ (one’s duty or responsibility) is on them but substituted an ‘a’ for the ‘o’. It may have sounded perfect in his head but it came out as a different word.
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A former legislator from Bungoma county is on the spot ever since he signalled he would be seeking an elective position in 2022. The former MP has shown signs of getting back into politics, much to the dismay of residents, particularly those from his constituency. Residents of the county have been taking to social media to remind everyone of the ‘ills’ he committed while in office. One discussion is about how he confronted boda boda operators after they called him a spent force. The man is said to have told the riders that they would remain in their “stinking business” for the rest of their lives because they never took education seriously.
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Contractors in a county in Western are wondering how a colleague tasked with beautification of the county headquarters was paid Sh50 million upfront, even before work commenced in earnest. A little bird whispers to Corridors the county further intends to pay him another Sh50 million, yet the works done don’t warrant a payment of even Sh10 million. The contractor is further said to have left many traders counting losses as rainwater has been channelled to their shops because of poor drainage. The contractors now want Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the World Bank and other donor agencies to investigate ‘anomalies’ in the project.
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Last week’s fundraiser hosted by Ida Odinga, the wife of ODM leader Raila Odinga, seems to have been a big deal for some party insiders, especially MPs from Nyanza. Soon after the fundraiser in which about Sh170 million was raised, a legislator from Nyanza said it was an opportunity he could not miss. The MP told his colleagues he had to borrow money to add to the little he had to make a proper donation. The legislator, known by many for his stinginess, pulled a surprise because he was among the highest contributors. He said he had to borrow part of the money “just to make a good impression”.