Embattled Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has written to the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti, seeking his the top sleuth's assistance in an ongoing row with city MCAs and the cash-starved Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).
Sonko in a letter dated Friday, December 4, alleged that 20 MCAs serving in the Budget and Appropriations Committee were given over Ksh 800,000 for a trip to Dubai that they never attended.
According to the besieged Governor, the funds were an alleged bribe to convince them to push Sonko to assent to the contested Ksh 37.5 million budget which had awarded NMS Ksh 27.1 billion and Ksh 8.4 billion to the county. The Governor declined to approve the budget
“Payments from the exchequer were made to the respective bank accounts of the intended participants to facilitate their travel, as demonstrated in the copies of attached documents herein.
"The Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, Robert Mbatia and his vice-chairman Michael Ogada alongside other members, never traveled despite being facilitated with public funds,” Sonko wrote.
The money was wired to the members on October 23. They were to leave for Dubai on October 27 and return on November 1, a few days before Sonko took a number of MCAs (including the committee members) to Mombasa for a holiday vacation.
Chairman Mbatia confirmed that he received the money but ordered his back to refund it.
"Money was put in my account on October 23. It was Sh 823,324. But on realising the same, I instructed my bank to begin the process of sending back the money to its source and it was deducted on the same day.
"This was bribery. It was done to fix us. I never had a Visa or ticket but money was put into my account. My question is: How was the money requisitioned for? Was it approved by the Controller of Budget?" Mbatia wrote to the Chief Finance Officer's office.
The budget was reportedly one of the reasons that saw Sonko impeached by MCAs.
On Monday, December 7, High Court Judge Anthony Charo Mrima ordered Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to halt the Ksh27.5 billion payment to the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS).
In his ruling, the judge maintained that the funds should not be released until a case filed by Governor Sonko's government challenging the allocation of the funds to NMS is heard and determined.
