This archive report was first published on 17 September 2019.
September 17, 2019 - Nairobi County is bracing for a leadership vacuum as Governor Sonko is set to face corruption charges in court over the award of tenders for garbage collection and disposal.
The charges, which are expected to be arraigned by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), stem from allegations that Sonko corruptly awarded the tenders to his cronies, who later paid bribes to him.
According to sources, the EACC is also investigating how money from the bank accounts of the garbage collection companies ended up in Sonko's private bank accounts.
Majority Leader Abdi Guyo is also implicated in the scam, with investigators finding a direct link between him and Flexilease Limited, one of the garbage collection companies implicated in the scandal.
Flexilease is being investigated for receiving payments for services not delivered and making the Nairobi County government pay for ghost workers.
Guyo is also being investigated over a scam involving public toilets in the city, where he is accused of working with shadowy businessman Abbas Khalifa to grab all public toilets.
According to sources, Guyo and Abbas pocket at least Shs 1 million each every week from the public toilets, and investigators are also probing the source of Guyo's sudden wealth, including his plans to build a huge shopping mall in Isiolo.
With Sonko and Guyo facing charges, the management of Nairobi County affairs will be imperiled, and the constitution stipulates that the County speaker takes over in acting capacity in their absence.
