Sonko says President's aides and some ministers behind his woes

Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko has accused the President’s handlers and key personalities in his government of frustrating him. Mr Sonko claimed that Uhuru Kenyatta’s aides and some Cabinet secretaries were out to force him to abandon his gubernatorial bid.

But the controversial legislator remained defiant that he would not step down for former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth, who is also seeking the Nairobi governorship on a Jubilee ticket.

Sonko accused the Nairobi MPs who are supporting Mr Kenneth’s bid of maligning him and challenged them to account for Sh8.5 billion given to them under the Constituency Development Fund.

“The President’s men have approached me many times to drop my bid but I have refused,” Sonko said.

He continued: “They are now intimidating me and using State organs to deny me vital documents needed for clearance in order to vie. A powerful Cabinet secretary even threatened to assassinate me.”

He said he was almost denied a certificate of good conduct by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) as one of the schemes to make sure he does not vie for governor.

“I don’t want my criminal past 20 years ago to influence my future. I have no criminal case pending in court now. Yet the DCI is using a case in which I stood surety for the Mombasa Republican Council leadership in Coast to deny me the certificate,” Sonko claimed.

He claimed that he and a team of other politicians fought hard to convince Uhuru to run in 2013 and insisted that he would not be intimidated to step down.

“Powerful people in former President Mwai Kibaki’s (administration) had convinced Uhuru not to vie in 2013 and asked him to step down for (Amani National Congress leader) Musalia Mudavadi. That time, we asked Kenneth to step down for Uhuru and he refused. I can’t step down for him,” Sonko said.

He expressed confidence that he would beat Kenneth in the Jubilee nominations. “I was voted Senator by 800,000 voters. These people are the ones who will nominate me. But if Jubilee pushes me to the wall, I will use another alternative vehicle,” Sonko said.