This archive report was first published on 10 December 2019.
On December 10, 2019, EACC Director of Investigations Abdi Mohamud Ahmed appeared before Justice John Onyiego, where he accused Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko of doctoring CCTV footage with the aim of blackmailing the anti-corruption official.
According to Director Abdi, Sonko's aides tampered with footage from a hotel he frequents to make it look like the Director was meeting with former Nairobi Majority Leader Abdi Guyo to receive a bribe.
"The said CCTV footage has evidently and deliberately been altered to create unwarranted speculation and innuendo to blackmail, intimidate and or stop the ongoing investigations," Director Abdi claimed in court.
It is alleged that Governor Sonko obtained the hotel CCTV footage by calling the manager of Heron Portico Hotel and asking to review camera footage, claiming that people were meeting there to plan his impeachment.
Director Abdi stated in court, "There is no doubt whatsoever that the petitioner intentionally and maliciously joined me as a respondent so as to taint my credibility, reputation and professional standing in a bid to erode public confidence in my ability to discharge my functions,"
However, the hotel's manager, Philip Anyona, stated that he showed the CCTV clips to County Chief of Staff, Mugo, out of trust for Governor Sonko, and to dispute allegations that there was money being distributed at Heron Hotel to destabilize Nairobi County.
Governor Sonko moved to court against the EACC Director shortly after he was summoned to the EACC offices before he was arrested. He claimed that the Director was biased in conducting his mandate, claiming that the corruption accusations were unsubstantiated.
