Nairobi County Governor Mike Sonko surrendered some County Government functions to the National Government because of an impending impeachment motion over corruption.
Last week, 67 Members of County Assembly (MCAs) had agreed to the impeachment motion. The same week Nairobi County Assembly Minority Whip Peter Imwatok tabled impeachment motion against the Governor.
The MCA for Makongeni cited abuse office, willful failure to name a Deputy Governor and irregular award of tenders.
Sonko couldn’t have escaped noting that his fortines had changed for the better, then for the worse immediately. He had been granted access to his funds but immediately thereafter the court froze his accounts again. Remember?
How it started
Sonko’s woes begun with a Ksh357.4 million garbage tender scandal.
The DPP Noordin Haji had announced that he had enough evidence to prosecute the governor who had received kickbacks from irregularly awarded tenders.
Fifteen other suspects were also named in the tender scam by DPP, they include County Secretary Peter Mbugua, Head of Supply Chain Management Patrick Mwangangi; tender committee members Samuel Ndung’u, Edwin Kariuki, Lawrence Mwangi, Preston Mwandiki as well as Wambua Ndaka and Andrew Nyasiego.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) named six firms they said were made to bid for the garbage deal in a stage-managed process in which the results had been predetermined.
It was reported that Purlexis Enterprises, Hardi Enterprises, Tusma Trading Company, Acacia Equipment, Bonfide General Contractors, Acacia Equipment, Bonfide General Contractors, and Daasanach Construction Ltd all bid for the garbage collection job.
On June 4, 2018, the committee reported that the six bidders were responsive and qualified to be awarded the contract.
However, City Hall settled on Hardi Enterprises – whose directors they claim were known to Sonko even before he was elected governor.
The firm, between October and March 2018, transferred Ksh55.8 million to a second firm trading as Toddy Civil Engineering, which coincidentally is owned by the same couple.
A forensic examination of the firm’s accounts showed Sh3 million was transferred to an account held by Sonko at the Equity Bank.
To cut the long scam story short, the governor received some monies from the company even before he became Nairobi Governor.
Hardi paid Sonko Ksh8.6 million between April and May 2017 allegedly for campaign support. Of the monies, Ksh600,000 was from Toddy Civil Engineering, Ksh3 million from Mwaura, and Ksh5 million from an entity identified as At KIC.
EACC further states that the governor received some other Ksh27.4 million from Amaco through Arbab Auto (Ksh17 million), Yiro Enterprises (Ksh8.4 million), and Webtribe (Ksh2 million).
