This archive report was first published on 8 December 2019.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko's two-year reign of corruption and paranoia came to an end on Friday with his dramatic arrest at Voi, marking a turning point in the cat and mouse game he played with investigators.
Unlike previous times when he controlled the narrative, Sonko was not able to leak audio or video files to media outlets or live-broadcast the drama on his social media pages. He was alone, handcuffed, and manhandled into a waiting police helicopter to spend the weekend in a police cell.
For two years, Sonko has been the script writer, casting director, and main actor in a poor production of the show, Nairobi, since 2017. As services broke down and garbage and chaos reigned supreme, Sonko's solution was to provide regular updates of his lifestyle through sharing photographs of opulence.
His propensity to rub off his wealth in the noses of the citizens who elected him has been on the increase, and he has been hurling profanities to critics, including homophobic slurs. His sense of style has also been heightened, with designer sunglasses, boutique jumpsuits, and exorbitantly priced shoes competing for attention.
Behavioural specialists would say this points to some form of overcompensation on the part of the governor for something that is missing. His paranoia has become like a superpower, with secret cameras, secret recordings, and secret documents fueling his fears.
As Friday's arrest loomed large, the sense that had been heightened the most for Sonko is his paranoia. He will most likely find himself lonely, perhaps thinking of all those lavish parties he has held for strangers at his Mua Hills home. Many will definitely stay away.
