On 19 November 2018, signs of defiance were already visible in Nairobi’s central business district just days after Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinett announced a crackdown on matatus that ignored traffic rules. At the junction of Ronald Ngala Street and Uyoma Lane, illegal touts were reported to be flagging down public service vehicles and forcing passengers to get off in the middle of the road, even though the spot sits beneath a CCTV camera linked to police headquarters.
The same pattern was said to be playing out elsewhere in the CBD. At the University of Nairobi roundabout, a traffic police officer on a motorbike reportedly stopped two matatus that were picking passengers and directed them to follow him. But near Museum Hill, the drivers and conductors allegedly got off, approached the officer to “greet” him, and were then allowed to continue on their way.
Elsewhere in the political gossip mill, a Jubilee party official was said to be under pressure at home after his wife allegedly hired private investigators to follow a man she believed was involved with a female MP from Rift Valley. The source behind the claim said the marriage had become so tense that the wife had suspended conjugal rights while waiting for the investigation to end.
According to the same account, the businesswoman had heard from friends at a party that her husband had been seen with the MP at several city malls, shopping and spending time together. She was also said to have instructed the investigators to check immigration records at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for reports that the pair may have travelled together to an Arab country for a summer holiday. She reportedly vowed to expose the “husband-snatching legislator” if the claims were confirmed.
In a separate political row, some allies of Deputy President William Ruto blamed Baringo senator Gideon Moi for the attacks mounted by MPs Alfred Keter, Silas Tiren and Joshua Kuttuny. But another group of lawmakers from Rift Valley and Mt Kenya said they had different intelligence and believed the three were acting on instructions from four unnamed figures who controlled the direction of Jubilee.
One MP was quoted saying that those opposed to Ruto succeeding President Uhuru Kenyatta had ordered the group to secure unrestricted access to State House. The claim underscored the widening suspicion inside Jubilee as factions continued to trade accusations over succession politics and influence at the top of government.
