Sonko says powerful forces plotted his impeachment for protecting city residents

The former governor claimed that some of his actions, which were done in good faith, turned out to be his undoing as powerful forces conspired to tame him.

Speaking on Friday night at a Nairobi hotel during a graduation party of his former spokesman Elkana Jacob, Sonko linked his ouster to the fight for control of billions of own source revenue development projects.

Jacob graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Masters Degree in Criminology.

He claimed that at one time, he got Sh60 million as his ‘share of the loot’ from city hall coffers, an amount he carried to State House to show then President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“The president doubted my narrative and even called his then deputy, now President William Ruto, saying perhaps ‘hii ni ma bangi tu za Sonko’ (perhaps Sonko is high on some substance),” Sonko said.

The next day, the then President sent his intelligence officers, who mounted cameras and recorded another Sh70 million being delivered to Sonko.

“It’s then that a decision was made to go cashless and stop the siphoning of the millions from City Hall,” Sonko said.

Nairobi’s second Governor says the move did not go well with those who were looting, who then plotted another scheme to steal the money by compelling the county to deposit the money at the Central Bank, from where they would allegedly control payments.

“My biggest problem was to show the national government how Nairobi money was being stolen. Nairobi used to collect between Sh150 and Sh180 million. We used to pay salaries by the 25th of every month without relying on Treasury disbursements,” he said.

Sonko added, "When my friends realised the county was raking in billions in own source revenue, they started plotting against me. We were told that the money now should be banked at CBK. We fought so many battles.”

Other than the cash, Sonko linked his ouster to a plan to evict thousands of slum residents to pave the way for a sewer system that was to support a private mega project owned by a powerful family. He allegedly faced the national security team and registered his objection to the project.

“They wanted to use public drainage; for that project to be successful, we were going to displace many people. This is something if could not allow since we were going to cause mass displacements in Kariobangi, Dandora, and other places.”

Sonko said his development record was also a threat to some individuals in the national government, with a powerful PS at one time calling and asking him to go slow.

“I had done a stadium in Dandora, Westlands, Woodley and markets in Mwariru, Kangundo Road, Dagoretti, etc. I was once called and told to go slow, not to embarrass the national government.”

The former Governor also recalled a decision to have him run in Mombasa in 2022 instead of Nairobi, saying President Uhuru Kenyatta convinced him to move to the Coastal city and run on an Azimio Coaction (Wiper) ticket and that the government will support him.

However, IEBC barred him from contesting over his impeachment status since chapter six of the conditions bars those who have been removed from office from running.

Sonko has vowed to continue fighting the ouster in court, saying he has obtained new evidence of MCAs confessing how they were induced to take the vote.