Mbuvi Gideon Kioko, popularly known as Mike Sonko or simply Sonko ( Sheng for "rich person" or "boss", pronounced as "Sonk/koh" ),Kenyan politician thrown out of parliament for earrings
CNN, March 3, 2011 (born 27 February 1975) is a controversial Kenyan politician who served as the second Governor of

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

. He was removed from the office of the governor by a form of impeachment by the Senate of the Republic of Kenya on Abuse of Office, Gross Misconduct and Crimes under National Law on 17 December 2020.

Early life and education

Mike Mbuvi Sonko was born in

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

in 1975. His father, Mzee Kivanguli was

Kamba Kamba may refer to: *Kamba African Rainforest Experiences, a collection of eco-luxury lodges in the Republic of Congo *Kamba people of Kenya *Bena-Kamba, a community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo *Khampa, also spelled Kamba, Tibetan peop ...

from Mua Hills

Machakos County Machakos County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, which came into being as part of the devolved system of governance occasioned by the 2010 constitution of Kenya. The county's administrative headquarters are in Machakos Town, which is the l ...

. He attended Kikowani Primary School before proceeding to Kwale High School.

Political career

Makadara Member of Parliament and
Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
Senator

Mike Sonko rose to national political prominence when he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Makadara Constituency,

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

at the age of 35. The September 20, 2010 by-election was occasioned by a successful petition by Reuben Ndolo. After the inauguration of the new constitution of Kenya in 2010 and the creation of the county governments, Sonko announced his intention to run for Senator in Nairobi County. He became the First Senator of

after garnering 808,705 votes, beating his closest competitor, Margaret Wanjiru of the

Orange Democratic Movement The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is a centre-left political party in Kenya. It is the successor of a grassroots people's movement that was formed during the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum campaign. This movement separated in Augus ...

, who had garnered 525,822 votes, in the Nairobi senatorial election of 2013. Unlike his time in parliament, where he gained notoriety for flouting House Rules, including incidences of inappropriate dressing, the Senator mostly dressed in official attire. During his time in the Senate, he formed the Sonko Rescue Team, an officially registered

Non-Governmental Organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

that provided government-like services to residents of Nairobi slums. The then-governor of Nairobi County, Dr. Evans Kidero opposed the activities of the group, citing conflicts of interest with the county government's operations. The Senator acquiesced and donated the vehicles to the county government after several weeks of tense public exchanges.

Nairobi Governor

As early a
January 2016
Mike Sonko had announced his intentions to run for Governor of Nairobi County in the

2017 Kenyan general election General elections were held in Kenya on 8 August 2017 to elect the President, members of the National Assembly and Senate. They coincided with the 2017 Kenyan local elections which elected Governors and representatives in the devolved governme ...

. After a grueling primary campaign against Peter Kenneth, Sonko ran for the Gubernatorial seat for Nairobi County under the

Jubilee Party of Kenya The Jubilee Party of Kenya is a major political party in Kenya. It has significantly influenced the country's political landscape since its founding on 8 September 2016. Emerging from a merger of 11 smaller parties, including The National Alli ...

and defeated the incumbent Evans Kidero to become the second Governor of Nairobi. On 17 December 2020, after undergoing an impeachment procedure by the Nairobi County Assembly, Sonko was impeached by the Nairobi Senate and removed from office. Four days after Sonko's removal, Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura was sworn in as acting Nairobi Governor for at least 60 days due to the lack of a deputy governor.

Remarkable event(s)

After the Westgate shopping mall attack in September 2013, Sonko claimed that he had warned the security services of a possible attack three months prior to the incident.

Corruption charges

On 6 December 2019, the Director of Public Prosecutions in Kenya issued an arrest warrant against Mike Sonko for various corruption charges during his tenure as a Governor of Nairobi County. He was arrested in Voi. After the arrest, he was detained at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison for a few days and released on December 11, 2019, by anti-corruption court for a bond of Sh30 million or a surety of the same amount or a cash bail of Sh15 million. As a condition for the release, he was barred from accessing office of

Nairobi County Nairobi City County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya. With an estimated population of 5,454,000 in 2024, it is the third-smallest in area of the counties, yet the most populous. It also serves as the capital of Kenya. The county entity was ...

governor until the case was determined. The Senate impeached him on 17 December 2020. Due to involvement in corruption, the U.S. Department of State designated him and his wife Primrose Mwelu Nyamu Mbuvi; their daughters Saumu Agnes Mbuvi and Salma Wanjiru Mbuvi, and Sonko's minor child in March 2022 as ineligible for entry into the United States.

Personal life

Sonko is rumoured to have broken out of prison in 1998 and recently, officials have called for him to complete his jail term.

Recognition

In August 2019, Sonko was awarded an honorary degree of excellence from European Digital University (EDU) in recognition of his goodwill and contribution to the community.

References

External links

Mike Sonko Documentary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonko, Mike Members of the Senate of Kenya Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) Living people 1975 births Kamba people