Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has been ordered by a Nairobi court to defend himself against corruption charges first filed three years ago.
Milimani Magistrate Charles Ondieki ruled that the charges brought by the state are valid, and the prosecution has established a prima facie case, requiring Sonko and his co-accused to present their defense. This indicates that while the evidence provided is sufficient to support the allegations, it is subject to being challenged by the defense.
Sonko has announced plans to call witnesses, including officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), to bolster his defense.
Previously, in 2022, Milimani Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti of the anti-corruption division acquitted Sonko, citing defects in the initial charge sheet. However, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) appealed the decision, leading Justice Nixon Sifuna to reinstate the case in December. Justice Sifuna ruled that the acquittal was erroneous as it failed to consider the amended charge sheet, ordering the case to be retried by a different magistrate.
Magistrate Ondieki has now determined that Sonko, along with ROG Security Limited and Anthony Ombok, has a case to answer. He clarified that charges could only be deemed defective if they caused significant embarrassment or injustice to the accused, which was not the case here.
However, the court dismissed two counts of conspiracy to commit corruption, citing duplication in the charges. For the remaining allegations, including money laundering, abuse of office, and conflict of interest, the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to warrant a defense.
One of the charges claims that Sonko, during his tenure as Governor in 2019, improperly benefited by demanding KSh 10 million from Web Tribe Limited through ROG Security Limited as an inducement to facilitate payments owed by Nairobi City County Government to the company.
Magistrate Ondieki emphasized that the defense hearing will begin on May 18 and proceed daily for two weeks, with no allowances for adjournments.
