Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo on November 25, defended Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko over fresh allegations emanating from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), pointing out that the governor had a pending jail term to serve.
While replying to a Twitter post by the Daily Nation alleging that Sonko has an incomplete jail term at Shimo la Tewa Prison, Kabogo implied that if the allegations were indeed true, there was no need of going after the governor whom he described as reformed.
“Shimo la Tewa Maximum Security Prison has said in court documents that Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko needs to be charged with escaping from prison and serve his remaining sentence,” wrote the Daily Nation.
Kabogo replied to the tweet and wrote;
“Prison is a correctional center and Mike is reformed, why keep hunting him?”
Kabogo’s defence for Sonko came hours after Ukambani politician Kalembe Ndile defended Sonko claiming he had cleared all penalties that had been imposed on him by the judicial systems since 1998.
According to a report by the Daily Nation, Kalembe claimed that if Sonko had a sentence to finish, the entire team at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) needed to leave the office for clearing him to vie in three elections without proper background checks.
“In view of this, what is wrong with same Gideon Kioko Mbuvi replying ‘no’ to the question ‘Have you ever been convicted of any offense and sentenced to serve imprisonment for a period of at least six months?” remarked Kalembe.
“They’re not telling Kenyans that the same Magistrate’s Court sentences were quashed and reduced by the High Court to the period already served from November 15, 2000, to February 12, 2001, vide High Court appeal no. 80 of 2001,” Ndile is quoted by the publication.
The Daily Nation further explained that prison records forwarded to the EACC indicated that on March 12, 1998, Sonko, was convicted of failing to attend court in CF 675/97 and was sentenced to pay a Ksh200,000 fine or serve six months in prison in default. He did not raise the fine and was committed to Shimo la Tewa to serve his custodial sentence.
On the same day, Sonko was sentenced to pay Ksh500,000 or else serve six months in jail for failure to appear for previous hearings in CF 1727/96.
He was to serve both sentences concurrently for 12 months.
He was admitted to Shimo la Tewa under prison number P/No. SHO/477/1998 and was scheduled to be released on March 11, 1999, but he reportedly vanished mysteriously from the institution on April 16, 1998, a month after his incarceration.
