Nairobi Governor, Mike Sonko, was reduced to tears on Tuesday while on live TV, as he defended himself against allegations laid against him pertaining to the source of his vast wealth.
The governor refuted claims published by the Daily Nation on Monday that he was under investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) regarding the source of his fortunes.
Sonko went on to give a detailed report of how he had grown from grass to grace by investing smartly at an early age, adding that he was already on record explaining how he made his first Ksh1 million while still in high school.
"I had over 10 matatus with each earning me Ksh 40,000 a day over 20 years ago, was this not business? Why do people choose to believe that if your father was not rich, or if you came from a humble background you can't become a governor? You cant make money? It's very painful," a tearful Sonko posed to the host, Ken Mijungu.
Ironically, Sonko was speaking on NTV at their studios located at Nation Centre in Nairobi CBD, the very building that housed the writers that ran the article that angered him.
He went on to reveal that he had invested heavily in real estate decades ago, adding that he was currently in possession of over 1000 legitimate title deeds under his name.
In one of his numerous examples, Sonko stated that he had once purchased 25 acres of land in Kwale from former Westlands Member of Parliament, Fred Gumo, at a cost of Ksh7 million, a piece of property he disclosed was now going for Ksh20 million per acre.
Following his successful business ventures in Kwale, the Nairobi governor then moved to Buru Buru estate in the capital city, where he invested in an array of business including a video library, a boutique, cyber cafes, a spare parts shop run by my wife, salons and barber shops and a bar called Coco beach.
The popular bar used to rake Ksh4 million on average every weekend, thus provided him with more capital to invest in other ventures such as buying the first ever double-decker bus in the city (registered as KAZ 212G under his wife's name), adding that it was actually renown journalist Julie Gichuru who helped him during the importation process.
Sonko went on to castigate the Daily Nation over what he termed as a typical case of character assassination whereby his detractors were paying off editors to tarnish his name with an eye on the 2022 general elections.
"I'm was fought when I vied to become an MP, I was fought when I vied to become a senator and they are fighting me now that I'm governor, but I'm still going places," an assertive Sonko intimated.
He went to affirm that he would not stop handing out his hard-earned money to the less fortunate, as God had blessed him enough to be able to help out where he can.
