This archive report was first published on 20 December 2019.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has chosen to defy a court order, opting to discharge his duties from his home offices instead of City Hall. This decision comes after Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti issued an order on December 11, 2019 during Sonko's bail hearing at the Anti-Corruption Court in Milimani, barring him from accessing his County Hall offices.
According to a statement seen by the Standard Digital, Sonko welcomed all stakeholders to troop to his Upper Hill and Riverside offices or Mua home for county meetings. He stated, 'Henceforth until otherwise communicated, I wish to inform all stakeholders of this county that I shall continue to exercise my official duties at my Upper Hill and Riverside offices which will now be open to the public. If need be, my Mua family home will also be open hosting county meetings.'
However, it appears Sonko is not pleased with the court order, which he believes was made with fears that his presence at City Hall would interfere with evidence and intimidate county staff who might be prosecution witnesses. He stated, 'Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti issued orders barring me from accessing my County Hall offices from the precedence set by Justice Mumbi Ngugi’s ruling.'
As part of his bail conditions, Sonko was granted on a Sh15 million cash bail or an alternative bond of Sh30 million with a surety of a similar amount. He is facing a total of 19 charges in two separate files, with the prosecution claiming that he conspired with rogue business people and senior county government officials to embezzle more than Sh380 million from the county coffers.
