Former Finance CEC: State House Meetings Sealed Governor Sonko’s Fate
"It cannot be that the agency just thinks about every Kenyan, and it was his (Sonko's turn), or that the issue came to an official of the agency in a dream or a prophecy," Justice Sifuna said.
The ouster of former Nairobi County Governor Mike Sonko was planned and executed at the State House in Nairobi, the Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi has been told.
A former finance county official, Allan Esabwa Igambi, told Magistrate Charles Ondieki that he was summoned to State House, Nairobi, by a former Solicitor General, Njee Muturi, and instructed to find a way of fixing Sonko with a view to removing him from office.
Igambi told the court of an elaborate scheme to diversify the operations of the county government by transferring some of the functions to the Nairobi Metropolitan Services under the National Government.
“The removal of Sonko from office was ordered from above.” Igambi said.
The former top finance officer told the magistrate trying Sonko in a Sh 10 million graft case that Muturi confided to him that he had been given directives to ensure the removal of Sonko is executed.
The former CEC finance, who was testifying in defence of Sonko, said that the whole scheme was to clip powers from the ousted Nairobi county Governor.
Led in his evidence by lawyer Assa Nyakundi, the former finance officer said he attended two state house meetings in a row where the fate of Sonko was sealed,
“During the meeting at the state house I was instructed to transfer crucial services to the NMS under the national government,” Igambi testified.
During the transfer of services, the former president Uhuru Kenyatta witnessed the exercise.
He disclosed the services that he transferred were Roads and Transport, Health Sector, and Education.
The former finance officer said the transfer of the services was signed by him and a commissioner general of the Kenya Revenue Authority KRA.
Igambi told the Anti-Corruption court that during all those meetings, he was summoned by Muturi, with whom they discussed an array of issues, which culminated in the diffusion of powers of Sonko.
Asked by the prosecutor how many were in the meeting that discussed the removal of Sonko, he said it was only him and Muturi.
He told the magistrate that although he had been asked to cook up evidence to remove Sonko, he did not add, “My conscience did not allow me to fix the former Governor.
Last week, the High Court Nixon Sifuna cleared Sonko of engaging in corruption deals at City Hall when he ordered the unfreezing of 10 bank accounts with over Sh 30 million.
Justice Sifuna ruled that the Asset Recovery Agency (ARA) failed in its duty to prove allegations that Sonko was involved in corruption and money laundering.
The judge said ARA for commencing investigations against Sonko when there was no complainant.
“The Agency cannot wake up on Day and start investigating someone or an entity. There must be a finger that is pointed at him or it, or even a document or report, example, the Auditor General’s report. The most unfortunate extent is when the source of information is gossip, or the agency is spurred by witch-hunt or some form of vendetta,” the judge stated.
The judge went on to say that to single out an individual from Kenya’s population of over 50 million, it must be that he was either caught in the act of committing a crime, or there was a report or complaint against them.
He added, “It cannot be that the agency just thinks about every Kenyan, and it was his (Sonko’s turn), or that the issue came to an official of the agency in a dream or a prophecy.”
Sonko has denied that he was involved in any corruption deals and has urged the graft court magistrate to acquit.
The case was adjourned to February 2, 2026, when the defence will resume.
