A ruling delivered in a Nairobi court has cleared former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko of one of the main charges he was facing, involving allegations of money laundering.
The judge said the prosecution did not present enough evidence to support the claim, and therefore the court acquitted him on that specific count.
While Sonko walked free on the money laundering charge, the court did not fully end the case against him. The judge ruled that he still has a case to answer on other charges linked to how tenders were awarded during his time at City Hall.
These remaining charges relate to claims that the procurement process was not properly followed and may have led to the loss of public funds.In the ruling, the court stated that it had reviewed submissions from both sides before reaching its decision.
The judge noted, “I am acquitting on count three related to money laundering. I am placing the accused person on their defence in respect to count 1, 2, 4 and 5.”
The prosecution has maintained that the tendering system was manipulated to allow the illegal awarding of contracts. Sonko will now proceed to defend himself against these remaining accusations as the case continues.
This outcome is seen as a partial win for the former governor, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
He has also argued that the case against him is driven by political interests rather than facts.In a related matter from January 2025, a magistrate had already ruled that Sonko had a case to answer in a separate case involving 11 charges tied to a Ksh 20 million revenue tender at City Hall, which also included money laundering claims.
Sonko has consistently told the court that his prosecution is politically motivated and linked to his past actions in office, including his claims that he resisted illegal land grabbing attempts involving public schools.
His legal troubles began in 2019 when he was arrested in connection with a Ksh 357 million graft case involving irregular payments and money laundering allegations.
