By ALPHONSE MUNGAHU
Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko Mbuvi has concluded his three-day sworn defence in a Sh20 million graft case in which he is charged alongside Antony Ombok Jamal.
At the close of his defence before Justice Charles Ondieki, Sonko argued that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence to prove the corruption allegations against him.
He urged the court to acquit him under Section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
“I am innocent. I did not participate in corruption deals. Instead, I fought corruption when I was governor to the best of my ability. The charges against me are a frame-up by my political detractors who were unhappy with my stance on corruption,” Sonko told the judge.
The former governor maintained that the case was politically motivated and insisted that he had not engaged in corrupt dealings.
Both Sonko and Ombok had previously been acquitted by former anti-corruption court Chief Magistrate Douglas Nyambane Ogoti.
Meanwhile, in a rare decision, possibly the first of its kind since independence, Chief Justice Martha Koome has allowed a judge who was elevated from the magistracy to return to a subordinate court to conclude a Sh20 million corruption case against Sonko.
Justice Charles Ondieki, who now serves at the Environment and Land Court, was permitted to resume hearing the graft case against Sonko and businessman Antony Ombok Jamal, which had reached the defence stage before his elevation.
Sonko, through his defence lawyer Assa Nyakundi, wrote to Koome requesting that she allow Ondieki to complete the trial, arguing that the case had been pending for a long time and the prosecution had already concluded presenting its witnesses.
In a letter dated June 9, 2026, Sonko urged the Chief Justice to consider that the matter had reached a critical stage, with the accused persons required to present their defences.
Ondieki had been handling the case as a magistrate before his elevation to the High Court in May 2026, when he placed Sonko and Ombok on their defence.
When the judge resumed hearing evidence, Sonko played video and audio recordings of individuals he claimed had been sent from State House to interfere with his trial and secure his conviction.
Sonko alleged that his prosecution had been orchestrated from State House following a fallout with a former president.
“Agents from State House were sent to meddle with this case, including interfering with my defence to abandon me,” Sonko told the court.
He then played recordings he claimed showed State House operatives attempting to frustrate his case.
The former governor further alleged that the same individuals had interfered with proceedings relating to his impeachment in an effort to ensure his removal from office.
He also mentioned former judge Said Juma Chitembwe, whom he alleged had been pressured not to rule in his favour in the impeachment petition.
Sonko maintained that the Sh20 million graft case was politically motivated and had been engineered by powerful individuals in the former regime who opposed his stance against corruption at City Hall.
He told the court that the charges were not legally founded but were intended to punish and silence him for challenging entrenched interests within the county government.
Sonko also alleged that the individuals involved had held meetings at State House, where senior county officials were invited to discuss plans to undermine him.
The allegations made by Sonko in court remain claims and would require independent verification.
