Former governor of Nairobi, Mike Mbuvi Sonko, is making a political comeback and has his sights set, not on Nairobi, but on the governorship of Mombasa.His name was submitted to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) by the Kalonzo Musyoka-led Wiper Democratic Movement as one of those who had been cleared to run in the party primaries.
The flamboyant and controversial politician , who was impeached by the Nairobi County Assembly in December 2020, will run on a Wiper Party ticket for the seat, but he must first defeat Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo, who is also gunning for the same ticket.
He will face off against former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar, who will run on a UDA ticket as well as Mvita MP Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir, and Mombasa billionaire Suleiman Shabal, who are seeking the ODM ticket.
After falling out with the powers taht be, including President Uhuru Kenyatta, Sonko was sent packing on grounds of abuse of office, gross misconduct, and lack of capability to run county affairs, accusations that he had repeatedly denied.
But his slate is far from chequered. He is currently facing a graft case in court and is also barred from entering the United States.
In March this year, the United States government banned Sonko and his immediate family members from travelling to the US over corruption allegations related to abuse of office and bribery.
Sonko decamped from Jubilee to Wiper on March 22, 2022 and has since become a pariah of sorts, with fewer and fewer prominent politicians seeming to want to be seen associating with him – apart, of course, the likes of Mr Kalonzo Musyoka who still see a future in him.
