Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko Officially Resigns from Jubilee Party

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has officially resigned from the ruling Jubilee Party ahead of the August 9th elections. 

Sonko in a resignation letter sent to Jubilee said the decision to quit the President Kenyatta-led party was prompted by the need for him to belong to his party of choice as provided for in the Constitution. 

Sonko, who has been in the political cold since his impeachment in December 2020, thanked the governing party for sponsoring him while he served as Governor for Nairobi.

“I would like to thank the party leadership for the support they have provided me while I served as Nairobi Governor before I was illegally and unconstitutionally removed from office,” he said.

The move comes days after Sonko and immediate members of his family were banned from setting foot in the United States.

The US State Department declared Sonko a persona non grata alongside his wife Primrose Mbuvi, his daughters Agnes Saumu Mbuvi and Salma Wanjiru Mbuvi, and his underage son, citing his involvement in corruption during his tenure as Nairobi governor.

The ban was announced on Tuesday by Counselor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Nairobi Eric Watnik on behalf of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. 

Watnik said the US had obtained credible information that Sonko was involved in graft, including bribery, irregular awarding of tenders, and undermining the rule of law.

“We determined that he received bribes in kickbacks in exchange for irregular awarding of contracts to his associates for personal gains,” said Watnik.

Sonko dismissed the ban as State-sanctioned in a bid to scuttle his future political ambitions, saying he has never been convicted of any graft charges.

“I am urging the USA to focus on fighting Putin who’s killed millions of innocent lives in Ukraine just the way they went for Osama bin laden. Lest the American embassy forget that I am the one who helped them demolish a building next to their embassy that had become a nuisance for them even after exposing the owner who was trying to bribe me with Sh100 million. The previous governor had not helped them bring it down because of his corruptness,” said Sonko.