NAIROBI, Feb 2 – Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko was charged with assault and robbery with violence Tuesday, in offenses committed in 2019 further deepening his woes after impeachment.
Sonko denied a total of 12 counts and was remanded at the Gigiri Police Station after the prosecution pleaded with the court to allow detectives more time to complete their investigations, an indication he could face more charges.
He was arraigned at the Kiambu Law Courts where he denied all the charges leveled against him and which his lawyers said were politically motivated due to public statements he made recently linking Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho to the 2017 violence.
Others said his arrest and prosecution was linked to statements he made during a roadside rally in Narok against President Uhuru Kenyatta who had spoken about in Nyeri where he told a youth meeting that the Governor was impeached due to incompetence.
Charges read out to him Tuesday stated that he assaulted two people in Buru Buru in 2019, leaving them with serious injuries.
The charges include assault, causing actual bodily harm, robbery with violence and destruction of property.
He also faced an additional charge of entering a private property without permission or a search warrant.
His case was heard by Kiambu Senior Principal Magistrate Stellah Atambo who ordered he be remanded at the Gigiri Police Station.
The prosecution has indicated that it intends to apply to have the former Governor taken to Mombasa where a warrant of arrest against him is pending.
Sonko was impeached in November over gross misconduct, abuse of office and corruption among other charges.
He is also facing corruption charges in court alongside several county officials and suppliers accused of colluding to siphon public funds.
