Crisis Looms In Nairobi County As Governor Sonko And Majority Leader Guyo Face Corruption Charges

NAIROBI County government is headed for rough times and leadership vacuum as EACC is poised to arraign Governor Sonko in court over corruption. Sonko is expected to face charges over the award of tenders for collection and disposal of garbage within the city.

The governor is suspected to have corruptly awarded the tenders to his cronies, who later paid bribes to him. EACC is also investigating how money from the bank accounts of the garbage collection companies ended up in Sonko’s private bank accounts.

Also implicated in the scam is the Nairobi County Majority Leader Abdi Guyo who, sources have intimated, will be charged alongside Sonko. Investigators have found a direct link between Guyo and Flexilease Limited, one of the garbage collection companies implicated in the scandal.

Flexilease is being investigated for receiving payments for services not delivered and making the Nairobi County government pay for ghost workers. Guyo, a close ally of National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale, is also being investigated over a scam involving public toilets in the city. He is accused of working with shadowy businessman identified as Abbas Khalifa to grab all public toilets.

According to sources close to the investigations, Guyo and Abbas pocket at least Shs 1 million each every week from the public toilets. Investigators are also probing the source of Guyo’s sudden wealth. He is said to be building a huge shopping mall in Isiolo.

Management of Nairobi County affairs will be imperiled when Sonko and Guyo are finally charged with the court. With the recent court ruling, both leaders would be suspended from office. Sonko has refused to name a deputy governor since Polycarp Igathe resigned last year.

In the absence of the governor and deputy governor, the constitution stipulates that the County speaker takes over in acting capacity. There is no clear indication who is the legally recognized Nairobi county speaker. While High court reinstated Speaker Beatrice Elachi, Guyo and his MCAs have blocked her return to the county assembly