This archive report was first published on 25 November 2019.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko could face a return to prison after authorities discovered he had escaped from Shimo la Tewa Maximum Security Prison in 1998.
According to prison officials, Sonko was convicted on March 12th, 1998, for failing to attend court and was ordered to serve six months in prison or pay a fine of Sh200,000 and Sh500,000 respectively.
However, Sonko mysteriously left the correctional facility on April 16th, 1998, a month after his incarceration.
Prison records show that Sonko was admitted to Shimo la Tewa under prison number P/No. SHO/477/1998 and was scheduled to be released on March 11th, 1999.
On November 15th, 2000, Sonko was transferred to Kamiti Maximum Prison under number KAM/1255/001 after being labeled a dangerous criminal.
On September 19th, 2019, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) opened a probe into Sonko's previous criminal records after registering a complaint.
According to EACC, Sonko denied having been convicted, which was not true.
As a result, Sonko contravened Sections 13, 29, and 30 of the Leadership Act, 2012 by failing to honestly present information to the public, falsifying records, and giving false and misleading information to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in order to be cleared to run for political office.
