Former Nairobi Governor and NEDP Party leader Mike Sonko has set social media alight after openly displaying Sh54 million in cash.
In a video seen by TNX Africa, Sonko was seen stacking wads of currency on a table, a mix of US dollars and Kenyan shillings.
He began counting $100 bills amounting to $370,000 (Sh47 million ($370,000) before moving on to Kenyan notes in Sh1,000, Sh200, and Sh100 denominations, each neatly bundled as if out of a crime thriller.
After tallying the money with a calculator, he then revealed the total sum: Sh54 million.
The public display was a response to claims that cash changed hands during recent by-elections in Muminji, Ivorero, and Kabras, where UDA candidates won.
Sonko Shows Billions in Cash says Kama ni Pesa alikuwa nazo za Kuchallenge Ruto Candidate in Isiolo!! pic.twitter.com/xC7fgUmr54
— Mutembei TV (@MutembeiTV) March 1, 2026
Sonko dismissed the allegations, instead using the opportunity to give netizens a peek into his wealth.
“Kama kura ingekuwa inanunuliwa na mia tano, tungepata kura 108,000,” he said. “Our agenda as NEDP is not to give handouts. We never spent a coin on the last day of the by-election. Hawa wananchi ambao walitupatia kura 26 we love you so much. The promises we gave when we campaigned, we will do that.”
The by-elections saw UDA candidates clinching the three seats, consolidating the party’s hold in the regions.
Online, Kenyans were quick to react.
Some marvelled at the cash display, while others questioned the legality of keeping such large sums outside the banking system.
“Mr. @MikeSonko should be jailed for money laundering. No one should be allowed to keep such amount of cash outside the banking system,” tweeted the controversial lawyer and political activist Miguna Miguna.
“Yaaani you got all this in a safe? And when someone receives 500K kwa banks, you explain from here to Timbuktu how you got the dough. Mind you, no one has complained that his money has been stolen...” wrote social media user Enock Makaye.