Sonko claims State House agents meddled in Sh20m corruption case, asks for acquittal

By  Richard Munguti

Correspondent

Nation Media Group

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has concluded his three-day sworn defence in a Sh20 million corruption case, asking the court to acquit him after accusing his political detractors of orchestrating his prosecution.

Mr Sonko, who is charged alongside Antony Ombok Jamal, a director of ROG Security Limited, told Justice Charles Ondieki that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence to prove the charges against him.

“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,” Mr Sonko told the judge.

The former governor maintained that his prosecution was politically motivated and intended to punish him for confronting entrenched interests at City Hall.

He told the court that during his tenure, he had acted against suspected corruption, including causing the arrest of county staff from whose desk drawers money was allegedly recovered.

Sonko also claimed that individuals linked to State House had interfered with his trial in an attempt to secure his conviction. During his defence, he played video and audio recordings of people he alleged had been sent to meddle with the case.

“Agents from State House were sent to meddle with this case, including interfering with my defence to abandon me,” he told the court.

He further alleged that the same individuals had interfered with his impeachment proceedings to ensure he was removed from office. He also named former judge Said Juma Chitembwe, claiming that pressure had been brought to bear on him not to overturn the decision to impeach him.

The allegations were made as part of Sonko’s defence and have not been established as findings of the court. Sonko and Mr Ombok are accused of conspiring to extort Sh20 million from Web Tribe Limited in 2019 as an inducement to facilitate payments to Nairobi County under a revenue contract.

The two were previously acquitted by former anti-corruption chief magistrate Douglas Ogoti. However, High Court judge Nixon Sifuna overturned the acquittal and ordered them to be placed on their defence.

Mr Sonko’s appearance before Justice Ondieki followed a decision by Chief Justice Martha Koome to allow the judge, who had been handling the case as a magistrate before his elevation to the High Court, to return to the subordinate court to conclude the part-heard trial.

Justice Ondieki, who was appointed a judge of the Environment and Land Court in May 2026, had already placed Mr Sonko and Mr Ombok on their defence before his promotion.

In a letter dated June 9, 2026, Mr Sonko, through his lawyer Assa Nyakundi, asked the Chief Justice to allow Justice Ondieki to complete the case, arguing that it had been pending for a long time and that the prosecution had already concluded calling witnesses.

The hearing resumes on October 15, when Mr Ombok is expected to begin his defence.

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