Inside Sonko's frantic efforts to scuttle impeachment motion

Embattled Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s surrender of key county functions to the National Government was the culmination of his frantic efforts to scuttle an impeachment motion.

Impeccable sources have revealed Sonko has been making behind-the-scenes efforts and holding overnight meetings to defeat the motion currently before the Nairobi County Assembly.

Minority Chief Whip Peter Imwatok (Makongeni) last Thursday filed a notice of motion against the governor, accusing him of violating the Constitution, abusing his office powers, gross misconduct and financial mismanagement.

He and others are facing Sh357 million corruption charges in connection with garbage collection tenders.

In an unprecedented move on Tuesday, Sonko signed away four powerful functions — Transport, Health, Planning and Public Works — to the national government.

Stripped of those powers, he is essentially a figurehead and City Hall is an annexe of the central government.

Insiders intimate Sonko was bargaining for a favourable verdict in the impeachment motion — hoping President Uhuru Kenyatta would persuade Jubilee MCAs, who are the majority, to defeat the bid.

The governor, previously seen as street smart until he was cornered by anti-graft detectives and eventually charged, however, appears to have convinced President Kenyatta to save him from the guillotine. 

The Star has learnt all the 66 Jubilee MCAs have been summoned to State House on Saturday for a meeting with the President.

"Kindly be advised that we have a meeting tomorrow [Saturday] at State House at 9am," reads a message sent to MCAs by  Assembly Majority Whip June Ndegwa.

Sources said a similar meeting of ODM lawmakers would also be convened by ODM leader Raila Odinga at the request of the President.

"There is no need of killing a man who has held up his hands in surrender," a source close to the presidency said, referring to Sonko's agreeing to relinquish key functions.

Sonko deployed a multi-pronged strategy to kill the impeachment that mirrors that of his counterpart, former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu.

In a mortifying spectacle, Waititu was kicked out in a vote that exposed deep-seated divisions in Jubilee.

Sonko's handlers and MCAs close to him have revealed he has also reached out to Wiper leader and Nasa co-principal Kalonzo Musyioka to rein in his Wiper MCAs from backing the impeachment motion.

They disclosed the county boss pleaded with Kalonzo to engage Raila, whose party dominates the minority wing and is pushing the removal motion, to convince his troops to drop it.

“He is not resting and we are with him. He has talked to Kalonzo and he has promised to help. We will not sleep. These people will not defeat our strategy,” a second-term Jubilee MCA, a close Sonko ally, told the Star in confidence.

Meantime, the county chief has been using a former MP from Siaya, who is close to Raila, to persuade ODM ward representatives to spare him.

The ex-lawmaker is said to have reached out to more than 20 opposition MCAs to convince them to let him stay in office.

“The broker [ex-MP] has come to us but we have told him off. He will not manage us. The die is cast and it does matter who he sends to us. Sonko must go home,” Embakasi MCA Michael Ogada said.

Last week, Makadara MP and ODM Nairobi chairman George Aladwa issued a statement to MCAs elected on the party ticket against impeaching the governor — exposing the extent to which tSonko has gone to save his job and his political career.

But the notice was swiftly discounted by secretary general Edwin Sifuna who said the party could not interfere with the MCAs' mandate.

The flamboyant governor has been holding meetings, some overnight, with politicians — including Jubilee and ODM party officials and MCAs — both in his Upper Hill private office and his homes in Runda and Mua Hills in Machakos.

Roysambu MCA Peter Warutere, a Sonko confidant, confirmed the meetings, saying they have worked out "a plan and we did our math". He said he was confident the impeachment motion would fail.

Claiming solid numbers to defeat the motion, Warutere hinted of a plot to ensure at least 42 MCAs skip the session on the day of the vote.

The aim, he said, is to deny the house the required two-thirds or 82 MCAs needed to send home the former Nairobi Senator.

“Wiper will not vote for the motion. The same with independents and some ODM MCAs who are unhappy with the way they have been handled by the party. We have friends of the governor from ODM. They will be with the governor. According to our math, we only need 22 Jubilee MCAs to skip the session on that day,” he said.

Warutere added, “The governor has his friend governors who are very close to some MCAs. They have agreed to help. It is not going to be easy. We don’t expose our strategy to the enemy, but we have the numbers to defeat this. The only person who can ensure Sonko is impeached is the President. But he has not said that.”

But Embakasi MCA Michael Ogada and several other MCAs, including those elected on Jubilee ticket, told the Star the impeachment has ‘only been made firmer by the governor’s own ‘submission that he is incapable to run the city.’

“Sonko is going home. Those who are lying to him and extorting him will not help him. We now have even stronger grounds to remove him,” Ogada said.

Kariobangi South MCA and Budget committee chairman Robert Mbatia, a Jubilee member, said the governor has proved himself incompetent.

“I have talked to many of my colleagues. I can tell you, the general feeling is that he is going home.  What he did is grounds enough to remove him,” he said.

Another Jubilee MCA, who has been frequenting his Upper Hill private office, expressed similar sentiments.

“We will be rendered useless as an assembly if we keep quiet. What will we be doing as an assembly if the functions that we are supposed to oversight are taken to the national government?” he asked.

While making a communication on the floor on Tuesday, county assembly speaker Beatrice Elachi alluded to some MCAs who have trooping to the governor’s office ‘eating’ his money and promising to help him.

“Let me remind the house that 2020 is the year when we shall not entertain corruption in this House. It is wrong that some members are making trips to Upper Hill and lying to the Governor while eating his money. Honourable members, if indeed you love Governor Sonko, do the right thing for him,” Elachi said.

In the motion filed on the floor, Imwatok accused Sonko of unilaterally and randomly sacking staff through social media and failing to appoint a deputy governor, despite a Supreme Court advisory that he should do so. Not doing so amounts to gross violation of the Constitution, they said.

The firebrand Makongeni MCA also cited irregular procurement including a Sh1.5 billion tender for construction of stadia, inability to constitute a working cabinet with almost all CECs working in an acting capacity and skewed contracts to road developers.

Others are the irregular award of Sh1.7 billion contract to AAR Insurance Company and Sh18.5 million for city beautification.

Further, Imwatok assailed Sonko for failure to put in place a proper revenue collection system, leading to loss of revenue, and irregular issuance of title deeds to Eastlands residents.

According to the Nairobi County Assembly Standing Orders, an impeachment motion against the governor matures in seven days. This mean the motion will be officially be moved for debate after Thursday.