By George Kimori

Governor Mike Sonko has openly criticized the Nairobi MCAs who approved a ‘confidential budget’, and later used it to try and paint the county boss as condoning corruption even before the money was used.

Sonko cautioned two MCA’s in particular Kilimani MCA hon Moses Ogeto and Parklands MCA hon Malde Jahendra against raising unsubstantiated remarks with an intent to malign his name and gain political milage. The two ‘whistleblowers’ are said to have called members of the press concerning the fabricated allegations.

However, it has now emerged that without being requested by the governor, the MCAs decided to allocate Sh4 million and another Sh46 million as a confidential budget for Sonko to use in addressing operational matters, such as the inspectorate, legal services, disaster management and coordination and investigative services and cooperation.

But Sonko has said he does not need a secretive budget, since he keeps all receipts for all expenditures. He has since released more than 50 receipts for one of the key projects he has been conducting. He has not spent any amount from the so-called confidential budget.

“I don’t see the reason why I should be given another confidential budget when I have not touched the previous one — even a coin,” he said, when first asked about the allocation.

While addressing MCAs, Sonko said the county representatives were too quick to call the press over the budget to wrongly expose him even before they understood the facts.

“I will not sit when you are calling (reporters) from newspapers and TVs for a budget you yourselves have allocated and then I fail to defend myself. And I am known as a fighter against corruption,” Governor Sonko said.

“If you (MCAs) try to link me to corruption, I must tell the world that you are playing games and I will not be part of it.”

He went ahead: “If you don’t understand this (confidential) budget, if you did not authorize this budget, how did it go through to the (county) budget.”

A bank statement released by the county showed that money had not been spent, and Sonko now says it was God who helped him not to touch it.

The members of county assembly, led by Kilimani MCA Moses Ogeto, who was recently on the spot for being adversely mentioned in the cold blood assassination of former student leader ‘OCS’ Samuel Ragira, had questioned how the governor got the budget.

Political pundits have cautioned the Kilimani MCA against making false allegations against governor Sonko because he risks losing support on the ground especially now that he is eying the Dagoretti North MP seat. According to political analysts, it is suicidal for Ogeto to witch-hunt the governor because he will need him in future. It is evident that H.E Governor Sonko has a solid base in the whole of Nairobi and that whoever goes against him might be punished at the ballot.

He is aspires to replace the incumbent MP hon Simba Arati who is expected to win Kisii County gubernatorial seat. People have nonetheless described hon Ogeto as a thankless man especially when he fell out with hon Simba Arati after all he did to ensure he recaptured the Kilimani Ward seat.