Sonko testifies in ongoing City Hall corruption case
6:02:2025: Former Nairobi City County Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko on Thursday took the witness stand at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court, where he is defending himself against allegations of conflict of interest, among other corruption-related charges arising from procurement irregularities during his tenure at City Hall.
Appearing before Anti-Corruption Court Magistrate Hon. Charles Ondieki, Sonko gave sworn testimony and presented video evidence aimed at exonerating himself. The materials aimed to portray the former governor as a long-standing crusader against corruption.
The video clips shown in court depicted Sonko leading efforts to stop the alleged grabbing of a school in Kamkunji and a water reservoir land in Loresho during his time as Nairobi Senator. The defence argued that the charges against him were an example of “corruption fighting back” against his anti-graft stance.
Sonko was first charged in January 2020 with conflict of interest and related offences over alleged irregularities in the award of a revenue collection services contract for Nairobi City County while he was governor. The charges were amended in September 2020, and the prosecution’s case proceeded until July 2022, when it closed its case.
In December 2022, the trial court acquitted Sonko after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a case beyond reasonable doubt. However, the prosecution appealed the decision to the High Court, which later ruled that the trial magistrate had erred by relying on the original charge sheet instead of the amended one when determining whether the accused had a case to answer.
The High Court subsequently referred the matter back to the trial court for a fresh ruling based on the amended charges. Following new submissions by the prosecution, Hon. Ondieki, in a ruling delivered on January 20, 2025, found that Sonko had a case to answer and placed him on his defence.
The defence hearing commenced in May 2025, and on Thursday, Sonko took the stand as the 21st defence witness. The case continues.
