A former Senior Superintendent of Police attached to the
Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has given testimony in the ongoing
anti-corruption case against former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, shedding light
on an investigation launched at City Hall in late 2018.
While appearing before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court,
Joseph Ondoro, who was then serving as the DCIO at DCI Dagoretti, told the
court he led a special unit of six officers assigned to Nairobi County
government offices by then DCI Director Ndegwa Muhoro.
The team was deployed to investigate alleged fraud within
the Nairobi County cash office.
Ondoro said the operation began following a complaint filed
by Sonko in December 2018, based on a petition from Henry Shitanda, the
president of the pressure group Bunge la Mwananchi.
According to Ondoro, his team was instructed to begin
investigations at the cash office and revenue collection outlets operated by
third-party service providers, including Jambo Pay and Web Tribe.
“We proceeded to City Hall with my team to investigate a
case of alleged fraud involving City Hall staff at the cash office,” Ondoro
stated in his testimony.
He added that
computers and electronic equipment used by the cash office and revenue
collection units were seized for forensic analysis by officers from the Cyber
Crime Unit.
An inventory of the
seized items was prepared and reportedly signed by the relevant officials.
Ondoro also told the court that on January 10, 2019, Sonko
contacted him from Mombasa, claiming that Danson Muchemi, the Director of Jambo
Pay and Web Tribe, was planning to visit him and may have intended to interfere
with the ongoing investigation.
Ondoro said he advised Sonko to visit the nearest DCI office
in Mtwapa.
According to his account, Sonko later informed him that a
covert operation had taken place involving Muchemi, allegedly using DCI
surveillance equipment.
However, details of that operation and any related evidence
were not elaborated during the testimony.
The testimony adds a new layer to a complex and politically
charged case that has continued to attract national attention.
Sonko faces multiple corruption-related charges linked to
his time in office as Nairobi Governor.
Earlier in the same case, former Nairobi County Finance CEC
Winfred Gathagu gave testimony alleging that senior government officials sought
to frame Sonko in a graft scandal as part of a wider strategy to remove him
from office in 2019.
Gathagu claimed that high-level meetings to orchestrate the
plan were held and that she was under pressure to support the narrative due to
Sonko’s anti-corruption stance.
She denied involvement in any financial misconduct and
stated that Sonko was not directly involved in county financial transactions,
contradicting the allegations that have led to his prosecution.
The revelations presented in court have yet to be fully
tested through cross-examination and judicial scrutiny.
Sonko has consistently denied the corruption charges,
terming them politically motivated.
The case continues.
