Fresh details have emerged on how a meeting at State House, Nairobi, helped Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko secure a police certificate of good conduct.
This enables him to run for office. Sonko wants to be governor, but JP is understood to want him to support Peter Kenneth for governor.
On Sunday night, Sonko said he would not support the former presidential candidate and Gatanga MP.
The good-conduct issue — which had never arisen before — involved authenticity of his KCSE exam score. It took the intervention of President Uhuru Kenyatta, through personal assistant Jomo Gecaga, to direct police to issue Sonko documents required by candidates.
At the same time, Uhuru impressed on the senator the need to abandon his quest for governor and instead defend his Senate seat, sources close to State House yesterday revealed.
Sonko needed the certificate of good conduct before he could submit his application to Jubilee for clearance to run. The Star learnt it was after Gecaga telephoned DCI chief Ndegwa Muhoro that Sonko’s conduct certificate was processed and taken to State House, where Sonko was attending a meeting.
Sonko had complained the police were yet to present him with the document, a day to last Friday’s submissions.
Hours before his State House meeting, Sonko told reporters there was a plot to lock him out by denying him police clearance. Afterwards, at State House, Sonko met Gecaga and other staff. At about 5.30pm, Gecaga had already telephoned Muhoro asking why Sonko had not been cleared.
A few minutes to 7pm, senior DCI officers went to State House and presented Sonko with the document. The senator confirmed receipt of the document via his Facebook page a few minutes after 9pm. Sources familiar with the State House meeting said Sonko was urged to drop his bid and allow other candidates to face Governor Evans Kidero.
No names were mentioned, but it is understood Uhuru’s inner circle wants Kenneth to remove Kidero. The governor is backed byNASA. On Sunday night Sonko said on Citizen TV that no amount of persuasion will make him support Kenneth, whom he described in unsavoury language.
Kenneth did not back Uhuru in 2013, citing the ICC case.