Embattled Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, on Wednesday, March 4, cleared the air on his current status following his unprecedented deal with President Uhuru Kenyatta, on February 25, which involved handing over some of the county duties to the national government.
Speaking during his interview with Jeff Koinange on March 4, the governor announced that he was still firmly in charge of Nairobi, stating that recent rumors that he had handed over his duties to Uhuru in a deal to escape the motion to impeach him was just propaganda.
"There is no backroom deal between the President & I in handing some county functions to National Government. After all, I have a pending corruption case. Nobody forced me to sign any agreement,
"I am still governor of Nairobi, Kiambu is not Nairobi & Mike Sonko is not Ferdinard Waititu. We should not politicize development," he stated.
He then went on to explain that the deal with Uhuru was done to facilitate the smooth implementation of the government's big 4 agenda, clarifying that his only incumbrance was that he could not access his City Hall office.
"I am getting my full salary, I am just not able to access my office," he revealed.
He then assured his residents that he was still hard at work to deliver his mandate as the governor, and that his duties remained the same in regards to ensuring his county residents received all services required from his office.
Sonko used his constant firing and reshuffling of county officials that he was still carrying out his duties and would continue to do so, adding that he was certain the corruption case against him would soon come to an end.
"People were stealing money from the cash office on a daily basis. I have managed to save Ksh 40 Billion of tax payers money, I do not tolerate nonsense which is why I am constantly firing people from Finance office," he disclosed.
"Before I was arrested Nairobi was clean. We would rather be assisted by National Government instead of having Nairobi run down by cartels. Even before the transfer of functions, the President had big 4 agenda that are in line with those functions," he further stated.
The governor made it clear that he handed less than 50% of his county duties, and urged his detractors to desist from politicizing his every move.
"Handing over 4 out of 10 functions to the National Government does not mean I have failed as Governor," he reiterated.
Sonko's deal with the president had raised several eyebrows, with some claiming that Uhuru's recent meeting with Nairobi County MCA's at State House that resulted in a decision to quash the motion to impeach the governor was part of the deal.
With the governor facing graft charges, barred by the courts from accessing his office and devoid of a substantive deputy, it is believed that such a deal was inevitable.
Watch Sonko's interview on the JKlive show below:
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