By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, April 30, 2026 - Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has scored a partial legal victory after a Nairobi court acquitted him of money laundering charges, although he will still have to defend himself against separate graft-related accusations tied to tenders issued during his time at City Hall.
In her ruling on Thursday, Magistrate Isabellah Barasa said the prosecution had failed to present enough evidence to sustain the money laundering charge under the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act.
“The court has reviewed the evidence on record and considered the submissions by all parties,” the magistrate said after hearing testimony from ten prosecution witnesses.
“I am acquitting on count three,” she ruled, referring to the money laundering charge.
The decision offers relief to Sonko and his co-accused, Fredrick Odhiambo, Anthony Otieno and ROG Security Limited, who had all denied wrongdoing throughout the trial.
However, the court found there was enough evidence for the case involving irregular tender awards to proceed to the defence stage.
“I am placing the accused person on their defence in respect to count 1,2,4 and 5,” Barasa directed.
The prosecution alleges that the tender process at Nairobi County was manipulated, resulting in questionable contracts and possible loss of public funds, including a Sh14 million deal involving the hiring of heavy equipment in 2018.
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While reacting to previous court proceedings, Sonko has consistently maintained that the cases against him are politically motivated.
Earlier this year, he told the court that “powerful individuals and networks whose interests were threatened by my actions decided to fight back.”
He also claimed that some people opposed to his anti-corruption drive at City Hall orchestrated efforts to bring him down politically.
Despite the acquittal on one count, the former governor now heads into the next phase of the case, where he will be expected to defend himself against the remaining charges.
The matter will be mentioned again on June 4.