Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko Confesses to Breaking Out of Shimo La Tewa Prison

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has confessed to escaping from Shimo La Tewa prison in Mombasa where he was incarcerated about 20 years ago.

Speaking during the burial of former Nairobi town clerk John Gakuo in Ol Kalou, Sonko says he broke out of jail to attend his mother's funeral.

Gakuo passed away while receiving treatment at Mbagathi Hospital after falling ill while at Nairobi Industrial Area Prison, where he was serving a three-year jail term over the Sh283 million Mavoko cemetery land scam.

The court denied him bail pending an appeal despite citing health complications in his application for bail.

Governor Sonko says the Judiciary is to blame for Gakuo’s death, stating that he was denied bail when it was obvious that his health status was bad.

“Inefficient judicial officers make suspects settle for other illegal means to access freedom. I escaped from prison to bury my mother when a magistrate denied me bail,” Sonko says.

Sonko was re-arrested and taken to Kamiti Maximum Prison. In a past interview, Sonko said he was arrested and jailed after a land deal in which he acted as a middleman went sour.

“I approached the Masabuni family and I paid them a 10% deposit and I took the land documents, I then sold the land to the German at 8 million and paid Masabuni the Sh4 million they sold the land for" he said.

However, the Masabuni family reported Sonko to police after realizing that he made a huge profit from the sale.