Former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko has now appointed a new team of lawyers to represent him in the Ksh14m graft case.
Evans Ondieki and Prof Migai Aketch will now defend him after six of the lawyers who had been representing him quit in early March.
Veteran lawyer John Khaminwa and Assa Nyakundi were among prominent advocates who attributed their quitting to magistrate Douglas Ogoti's alleged unfairness.
They argued that they had not being given enough time to gather evidence from Sonko's previous lawyers.
The initial legal team had been dismissed by Sonko in early February, who then appointed a new team led by Khaminwa.
Khaminwa had further highlighted the absence of the media during court proceedings despite the fact that it was a public trial, saying it was against the law and the constitution.
According to the new team led by Ondieki, a legal consultation with Chief Magistrate Peter Ooko over the case would be held on April 19 to establish how to proceed with the case.
Sonko was expected to show up in court in person on Monday, March 29, for the hearing of his case after a medical report presented to Ooko established that he was fit to stand trial.
The meeting, however, did not take form after the courts suspended procedures following Covid-19 protocols.
According to Ondieki, the suspension was a relief for Sonko's case as a fair trial would only come about when the judicial system took its time to access the case.
"Let them manage the pandemic first. In any case, there is nothing urgent, a fair trial is a fair trial, it entails taking time. There are so many governors with cases anyway," said the lawyer.
The former Governor is facing corruption charges for allegedly demanding a Ksh10 million bribe from Web Tribe Limited in order to process payments.
He is also accused of conspiring with senior county government officials and other business people to embezzle more than Ksh300 million of public funds.
