This archive report was first published on 7 December 2019.
On December 6, 2019, Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko was involved in a confrontation with police officers in Voi, which has led to assault charges being preferred against him.
According to National Police Service spokesman Charles Owino, Sonko became abusive, unruly, and violent during the arrest, obstructing police officers from executing their duties.
During the incident, Sonko allegedly assaulted and injured a senior police officer leading the team and damaged media equipment.
Earlier, Sonko's lawyers had released a statement claiming that he had been 'tortured' by police, with one of the advocates, Harrison Kinyanjui, calling for the arrest of a police officer allegedly caught on camera 'beating and mishandling' the governor.
However, a video of the arrest shows Sonko resisting arrest and shoving police officers away before eventually being handcuffed and led to a police chopper.
Sonko is currently in police custody until his arraignment on Monday, where he will face charges including willful failure to comply with law relating to procurement, conflict of interest, and abuse of office.
