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Mike Sonko appeared happy to be in the company of Deputy President William Ruto, who received him with a photo op, posted on the DP’s official page.
“We welcome @MikeSonko to Kenya Kwanza, the winning team,” Ruto tweeted.
We welcome @MikeSonko to Kenya Kwanza, the winning team. pic.twitter.com/iCJ4zuzuQ9
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) July 30, 2022
But the impeached former Nairobi governor arrives into Kenya Kwanza as damaged goods after the Supreme Court ruled to ban him from ever seeking or holding elective or public office, a dire fate for an ambitious man at the prime of his political career.
Despite lacking the ability to offer himself as a candidate for an elective post, Sonko brings to the Ruto’s camp a personal charisma that few politicians in Kenya possess. He is likely to be a force in Nairobi and Mombasa gubernatorial races where both Azimio la Umoja, the coalition led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and Kenya Kwanza consider of high value.
In Nairobi, for example, Sonko throwing his weight behind Senator Johnson Sakaja, could scramble the race and put the Jubilee candidate Polycarp Igathe on his heels.
Sonko was impeached and removed from office after he was found to have abused his office and engaged in corruption. In a rare move, the US State Department banned Sonko and members of his immediate family from entering the US because of corruption.
Sonko’s move has come as no surprise to Kenyans in social media. He seemed like an odd character within Azimio, a coalition championing zero tolerance for corruption, while he’s considered one of the most corrupt politicians in Kenya. At a recent meeting with the Azimio ticket, Sonko and Azimio’s running mate Martha Karua looked like an awkward couple when Karua put the Azimio cap on his head.
The event happened after Sonko held a public meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta, where they appeared to be cozy with each other. The switch to Ruto’s camp, with whom Kenyatta is having an open war of words, is likely to pour ice on the thawing relationship with Kenyatta.
Kenyans on social media had a lot to say about Sonko’s newly-found home of what’s left of his political ambitions.
“Sonko was always in TangaTanga. He is now where he perfectly belongs. With his fellow sympathy addicts. I will be glad to see you all fall together,” Auro Nick tweeted.
“Birds of the same feather flock together,” user Faridak said, seeming to reference the similarity between Sonko and Ruto who are constantly mentioned in corruption allegations.
While Sonko might not be a candidate, he will go down in history as one of the most entertaining politicians Kenya has ever seen. From his glitzy outfits, secretly recording his friends, to stunts, such as putting Hennessy in Covid care packages for Nairobians, Sonko has cultivated an image of politician who would do anything to gain attention.
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