Crisis Hits City Hall As Mike Sonko Spends Weekend Behind Bars

Nairobi County governor Mike Sonko was arrested which has left the county with a leadership crisis. Sonko was arrested on Friday in Voi and is being held over the loss of Sh357 million. He is facing charges of conspiracy to commit economic crime, willful failure to comply with the law and conflict of interest.

The Council of Governors (CoG) in a press statement said that they urgently want to meet President Uhuru Kenyatta regarding the Nairobi county leadership crisis, and the President is yet to respond to this.

Governor Mike Sonko is currently getting convicted today (Monday) at the Milimani Law Courts after being denied bail after his arrest.

If Governor Mike Sonko is actually convicted, according to the constitution chapter eleven-part two under county governments section 182. Under Vacancy in the office of county governor

Clause one  (d) states that the office of the county governor shall become vacant if the holder of the office is convicted of an offense punishable by imprisonment for at least twelve months; or

It further goes to state in clause two that if a vacancy occurs in the office of county governor, the deputy county governor shall assume office as county governor for the remainder of the term of the county governor.

In January 2018 Polycarp Igathe resigned as his deputy leaving a leadership gap and the post has been left empty ever since.

The constitution in clause four continues to state that if a vacancy occurs in the office of county governor and that of deputy county governor, or if the deputy county governor is unable to act, the speaker of the county assembly shall act as county governor.

Nairobi, Speaker Beatrice Elachi could be the acting governor of Nairobi County. Then according to Clause 5, an election to the office of county governor shall be held within sixty days after the speaker assumes the office of the county governor.

READ: Enough Is Enough! President Uhuru Kenyatta Tells Tanga Tanga

By Kathleen Fransisca