This archive report was first published on 11 December 2019.
December 11, 2019, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko revealed in court papers that he had been living with HIV, among other life-threatening conditions, nearly two decades ago.
According to court documents filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Sonko claimed in an affidavit that he was suffering from HIV, epilepsy, chronic tuberculosis, and peptic ulcers in 2001, as he sought to secure his release from prison on medical grounds.
At the time, Sonko was behind bars, and in his affidavit, he stated that he was the son of a single mother who had died while he was incarcerated.
"I have undergone a lot of suffering. I lost my mother while in prison. She was a single parent and my only hope. My younger brother and sister are still in school and now depend on me. My wife was thrown out of the house and all the belonging seized," Sonko said in his affidavit.
Despite his claims, Sonko's current health status remains unclear, as he was recently taken from remand prison to hospital, where doctors reportedly treated him for chest pains and high blood pressure.
