Former Nairobi County Executive Tells Court How State House Fixed Sonko

The ouster of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko was orchestrated through a calculated plot hatched at State House, the Anti-Corruption Court heard on Monday in explosive testimony that has sent shockwaves through Kenya’s political circles.

Former Nairobi County Finance Executive Winfred Gathagu made the startling revelations before Chief Magistrate Charles Ondieki, detailing how senior State House officials approached her and other county officials to fabricate criminal charges and support an impeachment process against Sonko.

“My colleagues and I from Nairobi County were approached on several occasions by senior State House officials who asked us to assist in building cases against my former boss, Mike Sonko for court proceedings, impeachment and related efforts,” Gathagu testified while being led in Sonko’s defense by lawyers Assa Nyakundi and Elizabeth Ochieng’.

The former finance chief revealed that the motivation behind the alleged scheme was Sonko’s relentless campaign against corruption at City Hall.

“All that happened because Sonko was fighting corruption, and the plans to remove him were all hatched at State House,” she told the court.

Gathagu disclosed that she had been caught in the middle of the plot, having initially testified as a prosecution witness under witness protection.

However, her conscience would not allow her to participate in what she described as a fabricated case. She testified as a prosecution witness but declined to lie in court, choosing instead to tell the truth. As a result, the state almost arrested her for her refusal to cooperate with the alleged scheme.

The witness detailed how several strategy meetings were held at State House specifically aimed at engineering a strong corruption case against the former governor.

“I was involved in various aspects of this case, including recording statements and preparing to be a witness. These strategy meetings at State House were specifically aimed at removing Sonko from office,” she said.

Ms Winfred Gathagu, a former Nairobi Finance County Executive Committee Member at the Anti- Corruption Court on July 28 2025.

Despite the explosive nature of her testimony, Gathagu declined to name the specific State House officials involved, citing safety concerns.

She noted that most witnesses in Sonko’s case had testified in camera for the same reason, but indicated her willingness to reveal the names if proper security guarantees were provided.

During her testimony, Gathagu also addressed her role in authorizing payments to Webtribe Ltd, popularly known as JamboPay, the company at the center of Sonko’s corruption charges. She confirmed making payments to the electronic revenue collection firm, emphasizing that these were legitimate payments for services rendered without any external influence.

“I made payments to Webtribe when I served as Chief Officer of Finance. The payments were for services rendered in collecting revenue on behalf of Nairobi County,” she testified, adding that delays were often due to funding issues from the exchequer rather than any corrupt dealings.

Crucially, Gathagu distanced Sonko from any direct involvement in financial dealings, stating that his role was limited to budget-making and that he neither influenced nor directed payments to service providers.

She further testified that Sonko had consistently raised concerns about corruption at City Hall, particularly involving cashiers, and had taken concrete steps to address the problem.

“It is true we discovered irregularities in payment processes. That is why Sonko kept complaining. We took corrective action and fired cashiers who had been in office for over five years and replaced them with new ones,” she told the court.

Under cross-examination by State Prosecutor Wesley Nyamache, Gathagu admitted she did not record any statement with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission about the alleged State House plot, though she had recorded two statements with the EACC on January 15 and 20, 2020, regarding other aspects of the case.

The testimony represents a dramatic turn in Sonko’s ongoing Sh20 million corruption case, with the former governor’s defense team appearing to build a case that the charges against him were politically motivated rather than based on actual criminal conduct.

The hearing is set to continue on August 5, 2025, as the court seeks to unravel what appears to be one of the most politically charged corruption cases in recent Kenyan history.