The senate has upheld the impeachment of Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.

Nairobi Members of County Assembly (MCAs) had impeached the governor over accusations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, flouting public finance rules among others.

27 senators voted for the impeachment, 16 opposed while two senators abstained from the vote.

The ruling by the Senate was delivered on Thursday, December 17, about 11.25pm extending the governor’s woes who follows former Kiambu County Chief Ferdnand Waititu to the cold.

Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka is expected to gazette the impeachment by midnight/Friday, December 18.

Keeping in mind that Nairobi county has been lacking a deputy governor, it means County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura will take charge for 90 days after which an election to replace Sonko will be held.

Sonko had a hard time to explain to the Senate how his daughter Saumu Mbuvi travelled to New York City disguised as a Ward Representative using public funds.

The governor dismissed the claims saying his wife Primsrose Mbuvi and Saumu used their money to pay for accommodation and other expenses.

He did not deny that air tickets for the two had been paid using public funds.

Also, audio and video clips that captured Sonko hurling profane insults to different people ignited sharp debate during the two-day sitting.

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Nairobi County Assembly’s lawyer Ndegwa Njiru boxed Sonko to the corner during the final cross-examination, tricking the irked Sonko into contradicting his statements.

The lawyer famously quoted French King Julian XVI during his prosecution of Sonko.

He said Sonko’s extravagance, which he equated to King Julian’s wife Queen Maria Antoinette which caused the monarch to be executed in the French Revolution.

Senators who voted in favour of Sonko questioned how the impeachment motion was passed in the County Assembly saying their was no list to prove required quorum threshold was met.

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua claimed that Sonko had done well in fighting cartels.

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