Sonko's shrewd tactics, now his worst nightmare

Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko and his co-accused Anthony Ombok (left) and Fredrick Odhiambo at a Milimani anti-corruption court where they pleaded not guilty to corruption charges. [George Njunge, Standard]

For a man who rode a populist wave to power, used strong arm tactics to maintain an iron grip while displaying opulence to showcase his office of governor, Mike Sonko seemed to have played the script well.

The Nairobi governor gained notoriety for publicly revealing private conversations to embarrass rivals, gestapo-style snooping to enforce a code of fear to discourage critics, and at one point put a conversation with the president on speaker phone as a demonstration of connections to high office to thrill a crowd as he stopped a demolition.