This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
Mike Sonko Offers to Pay Medical Expenses for Voi Police Officers Who Arrested Him ¶
On June 17, 2020, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko announced on Facebook that he would pay for the medical expenses of two Voi police officers who arrested him in December 2019.
According to Richard Cheruiyot, a DCI officer who works in Wundanyi, Sonko's communications officer called him to ask for help after hearing about the governor's offer to assist his retired colleague in a child upkeep drama.
Cheruiyot said he met Sonko at Voi Police Station after being instructed by his bosses to have him handcuffed and taken to the waiting police chopper. However, Sonko became harsh on him, and he hesitated to handcuff him. He eventually handed the handcuffs to other officers to handcuff him.
One of the officers, who was identified as having a bullet lodged in his veins, narrated his story in an audio clip shared by Sonko on Facebook. The officer said he had high blood pressure and a bullet that had not been removed since he was shot by criminals in Thika. He had attempted to remove it several times, but it was unsuccessful.
On his part, Sonko replied, saying he was ready to pay for his medical expenses and that of another officer with kidney complications. He emphasized that he was not trying to mock the officers who arrested him or protest against his arrest, but the manner in which he was forcefully bundled into a police chopper was not proper.
