Governor Sonko’s beautiful betrayal

Businessman Praful Kumar was on Monday arrested by Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) detectives on suspicion that he intended to bribe Nairobi County Governor Mike Sonko. Kumar who was at his Kanamai home in Kilifi County at the time of the arrest refuted the claims that he tried to bribe Sonko.

Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission officials found Mr. Prafu in possession of Kshs.5 million. However, according to Mike Sonko's office, Mr. Prafu only offered Kshs. 1 million to the Governor.

The visibly shocked Businessman was unable to talk much after EACC official ordered him to remain silent as what he said would be used against him in a court of law. "You can now remain silent," one of the EACC officials ordered.

The Anti-corruption body confirmed that the Nairobi based businessman will be arraigned in court today after processing. They also confirmed that the tycoon wanted Governor Sonko to allow the construction of his hotel in Gigiri which was stopped by the Nairobi County Government on Thursday, August 16.

“EACC has arrested Nairobi businessman Praful Kumar for offering a bribe of Ksh.1 million to Nairobi Governor Michael Mbuvi Sonko to facilitate approval of his hotel under construction. The County Government of Nairobi had stopped the construction of the hotel on 16th August 2018,” said EACC.

The arrest of Mr. Praful opens another chapter in Governor Mike Sonko's demeanor and personality that many Kenyan businessmen are yet to understand. Sonko has over the past few months "betrayed" the trust of his associates, friends and foes in equal measure – by sometimes luring them into a trap or exposing their confidential engagements.

Last week, Governor Sonko treated Kenyans to drama when he ordered the re-arrest of Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu's wife Susan Wangare and 14 others - just minutes after promising to release her without a charge.

In a conversation between Sonko and Waititu, the Nairobi Governor seemed to have ordered the arrest after facing scathing attacks from Kenyan Online Community. Sonko who had leaked the video of a conversation between him and Governor Waititu reversed his orders, and later on directed Nairobi County’s Enforcement Officer, Mr. Ochanda to arrest Mrs. Waititu alongside contractors who were working on the renovations of the Jamii Bora building and Delta Hotel for illegal construction of the buildings in the Central Business District.

The arrest came amid the National Environment Management Authority's efforts to reclaim riparian reserves.

In December 2017, through his Facebook account, Sonko released a conversation between him and his former deputy, Polycarp Igathe – in attempts to show how close they were professionally. But in a dramatic move, Nairobi Deputy Governor Polycarp Igathe later quit his position and attributed it to his own failure to win the trust of his boss, Governor Mike Sonko.

The move finally lifted the lid on the uneasy relationship between the pair that has been running the affairs of Kenya’s capital city for the last five months. “Dear Nairobians, it is with heavy heart that I resign my seat as the deputy governor of Nairobi City County,” he said in a letter to the media.

Sonko’s love for wiretapping and taping his conversations with people run deep and is as stealth as a professional investigator.