Mike Sonko graft case: Court summons lawyer Steve Ogolla, OCS to testify

Mr Tinega, who now works in the county’s Sports Department, told Trial Magistrate Charles Ondieki that Mr Sonko was keen on stamping out corruption during his tenure.

He said tens of millions of shillings were recovered from cashiers’ drawers following internal crackdowns.

“The cashiers were in control and had access rights to the automated revenue collection equipment installed by JamboPay and Webtribe, which had been contracted by a former county administration,” Mr Tinega told the court.

Testifying for the defence, Mr Tinega said the automated revenue collection systems routinely developed problems whenever revenue collections were high.

“Every month when there were huge collections, the systems would malfunction,” he said, adding that there were major variances between amounts collected and money banked.

He testified that contracts with JamboPay and Webtribe were terminated in 2019 under Mr Sonko’s administration after a sharp decline in revenue collection.

“There was a significant drop in revenue, which led to the termination of the automated services provided by JamboPay and Webtribe,” he said.

In issuing summonses to the OCS and Mr Ogolla, Magistrate Ondieki said the two had crucial evidence necessary for a fair determination of the case involving Mr Sonko and businessman Erastus Ombok.

The court said their testimony would assist in arriving at a just decision.

Read: Retired magistrate testifies for Sonko: 'He fought corruption'

Through his lawyer, Mr Sonko argued that the two defence witnesses possess vital information essential to clearing his name.

“The OCS, Capitol Hill Police Station, and advocate Steve Ogolla should be summoned to produce crucial evidence in this case,” Sonko’s lawyer submitted.

According to the defence, Mr Ogolla is expected to produce three key documents: a charge sheet, an affidavit of non-cooperation, and a statement.

Counsel explained that one charge sheet was prepared before the former governor was charged alongside other accused persons, while a second charge sheet was drawn after the complainant was removed from the list of accused persons.

The defence said the application was made in the interest of justice and that no prejudice would be suffered by summoning the two witnesses.

The prosecution did not oppose the request but noted that it had not been supplied with Mr Ogolla’s statement.

In February 2025, the High Court ruled that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) had established a prima facie case warranting Mr Sonko and his co-accused to be placed on their defence.

Proceeds of crime 

Mr Sonko and Mr Ombok face charges of abuse of office, conflict of interest, money laundering, and acquisition of proceeds of crime.

Mr Ombok, through his firm ROG Security Company, is accused of facilitating the transfer of Sh20 million allegedly extorted from Webtribe Limited, a firm contracted by Nairobi County to collect revenue in 2019.

Mr Sonko is accused of abuse of office, while Mr Ombok is alleged to have played a central role in transferring and concealing the funds through four transactions.

During the prosecution’s case, 19 witnesses testified, and financial documents were presented linking the accused persons to the alleged fraudulent transactions.

The trial magistrate directed Mr Ombok and his company to mount a defence on four specific charges relating to the receipt of the Sh20 million through an Equity Bank account. The funds were allegedly received in four tranches between January 14 and April 30, 2019.

The hearing continues.

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