A retired magistrate has testified in defence of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, who is on trial for a Sh20 million corruption case.
Henry Nyakweva, a senior principal magistrate in retirement, told anti-corruption magistrate Charles Ondieki that he had tried a case in which Sonko had sued businessman Praful Kumar Premchand Savla, who had bribed Sonko with 7 million to approve the construction of a property in Nairobi.
A retired magistrate has testified in defence of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, who is being tried in a Sh 20 million graft case.
Henry Nyakweva, who retired at the level of senior principal magistrate, told anti-corruption magistrate Charles Ondieki that he tried a case in which Sonko had sued a businessman, Praful Kumar Premchand Savla, who bribed him with Sh7 million to allow him to approve the construction of a property in Nairobi.
Mr Nyakweva told the magistrate on July 17, 2025, that Sonko had been fighting corruption while serving as Nairobi's governor.
"Do you wish to produce this charge sheet you tried Savla for the offence of corruption when you served at the Mombasa Law Courts," Lawyer Assa Nyakundi, representing Sonko, asked.
"Yes I wish to present the charge sheet in defence of Sonko," the former magistrate admitted.
In this case, Savla was charged with three counts of giving a bribe to the former city boss.
He said the charges were that on August 20, 2018, at Kanamai in Kikambala, within Kilifi county, being a proprietor of Grand Manor in Nairobi offered a financial advantage of Ksh 5 million to Sonko when he was the governor of Nairobi to facilitate the approval of construction on a parcel of land LR 91/239.
Nyakweva told the court that he was transferred from Mombasa to Embu before the graft case against Savla was concluded.
Earlier in the day, a police officer, Chief Inspector Kisorio Kiptoo, played a voice recording of JamboPay proprietor Danson Muchemi in which he was heard claiming that former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero had allegedly acquired seven billion in a span of five years and that he could assist Sonko to get 5 million in a day.
The hearing will resume on July 21, 2025.
