Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s Ksh20 million graft case will continue in October, with the Anti-Corruption Court setting October 11 to 15, 2026, for further defence hearing.
The dates were fixed on Tuesday during a directions hearing following the elevation of trial magistrate Charles Ondieki to the High Court.
Sonko had already started presenting his defence in the long-running case, and the October proceedings will allow him to continue with the remaining defence evidence.
The court was informed that only one witness remained for the first accused, with the defence indicating that some witnesses would be dropped because their evidence was considered repetitive.
“We will have the first accused and then we close his case,” defence counsel told the court.
The court was also informed that the second accused has one remaining witness, who is expected to testify on his behalf.
The court confirmed that physical hearings remain the default mode, while virtual hearings are allowed as an exception.
The case follows a rare application by Sonko to Chief Justice Martha Koome seeking the return of Justice Ondieki to the Anti-Corruption Court to conclude the matter.
In a letter dated June 9, 2026, Sonko asked that Ondieki, who had been handling the case before his elevation to the High Court, be allowed to return to the lower court to complete the hearing and determination.
Sonko was first charged in January 2020 with conflict of interest and related offences over alleged irregularities in the award of a revenue collection services contract for Nairobi City County during his tenure as governor.
The charges were amended in September 2020, and the prosecution closed its case in July 2022.
In December 2022, the trial court acquitted Sonko after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a case beyond reasonable doubt.
The prosecution appealed the decision, and the High Court found that the trial magistrate had relied on the original charge sheet instead of the amended one when determining whether Sonko had a case to answer.
The matter was subsequently returned to the trial court for a fresh ruling based on the amended charges.
On January 20, 2025, Ondieki ruled that Sonko had a case to answer and placed him on his defence.
The defence hearing commenced in May 2025, with Sonko taking the stand as the 21st defence witness.
The case will now continue on October 11 to 15, 2026, when the remaining defence evidence is expected to be heard.
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Category: Crime & Justice
About the Author
Rhoda Bogeta is a Kenyan journalist and multimedia storyteller covering current affairs, human-interest, science and environmental stories, with expertise in reporting, photography, videography and digital content creation. Email: rhodabogeta@gmail.com Instagram : i_am_bogetar X : @I_am_Bogetar LinkedIn: Rhoda Bogeta Tiktok : monique.mora_
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