Jubilee Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju on Sunday, December 29, revealed that the Party will not defend Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko against an impeachment motion.
Speaking in an interview on K24’s Punchline show, Tuju said that Sonko’s troubles can’t be prevented by the party if he would face an impeachment based on the criminal charges he is facing.
According to Tuju, it is out of the party’s province to even think of imposing Sonko to continue in the office.
“If it’s based on the criminal charges he is facing, it will be very difficult to defend him. When you have criminal issues, then you are throwing yourself under the bus,” Tuju affirmed.
The former Rarienda MP further revealed that Jubilee had tried to assist Sonko in managing the county, however, the governor turned down the offer.
Tuju insinuated that Sonko would not have managed the county on his own despite being the people’s choice.
This is the reason why the party paired him with businessman Polycarp Igathe, a move that later backfired.
“Sonko is a product of our Kenyan political culture. Originally, the idea was to have him as a political head of the county. We brought in a qualified corporate head (Igathe) who was supposed to help him ensure the county is run professionally. Unfortunately, it did not work,” he said.
Nairobi Leadership Crisis
Tuju added that Jubilee advised Sonko to appoint another deputy after Igathe resigned, however, he refrained bringing Nairobi County into a leadership crisis.
“After Igathe resigned, we tried to approach Sonko to appoint a deputy but he didn’t do it. If you look at the Building Bridges Initiative, there is a recommendation that a governor should be forced to appoint a deputy within 90 days, if they don’t they face an election,” Tuju explained.
Sonko is facing criminal charges for embezzlement of over Ksh 357 million of county funds.
Upon his release from prison on a Ksh15 million cash bail, Sonko was barred from office and was also ordered to submit his passport to the courts.
Sonko was further warned against interfering with witnesses or commenting on the case even on social media.