This archive report was first published on 11 December 2019.
On December 12, 2000, President Moi granted amnesty to prisoners, including Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, who was behind bars at the time. However, Sonko's past is shrouded in controversy, as revealed in a 2001 affidavit filed in court.
According to the affidavit, Sonko confessed to suffering from HIV, among other life-threatening conditions, as he sought to secure his release from prison 18 years ago. The documents, obtained by The Star, reveal that Sonko claimed to be HIV positive and epileptic, and was also suffering from chronic tuberculosis and peptic ulcers.
‘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 belongings seized,’ Sonko said in the affidavit.
Yesterday, Sonko was taken from remand prison to hospital, where doctors attended to him at Kenyatta National Hospital. While the doctors did not disclose the nature of his treatment, Sonko's handlers claimed he suffered from chest pains and high blood pressure.
