In a dramatic revelation, the former Nairobi governor, Mike Sonko, has validated the claim that he was accompanying Jacque Maribe, the former journalist for Citizen TV, on the night Monica Kimani, a local businesswoman, met her untimely end. Sonko, known for his candor, has stated his readiness to offer testimony in court, should it be required, providing a new twist to the notorious Kimani murder case.
Maribe, who stands accused of conspiring with her former partner, Jowie Irungu, to orchestrate Kimani’s demise in 2018, declared in her defense at the Milimani Law Courts that she had spent the ill-fated evening away from her home, primarily at the Citizen TV studios. She recounted crossing paths with Sonko, who was scheduled for an interview with Jeff Koinange. At Sonko’s behest, she remained at the station until the conclusion of his interview.
“Sonko requested me to stay, and I obliged, remaining at the station until 10 pm. Afterwards, I proceeded to Q-Lounge with his two aides. We monitored his live interview on my phone until the battery expired,” Maribe recounted to the court.
In response to these revelations, Sonko admitted to spending the evening with Maribe and others but expressed ignorance of any plans to murder Kimani. “If the court calls upon me, I will provide an honest account. I’m not the type to abandon friends during challenging times. It’s true, I was in Jacque Maribe’s company at Citizen TV on September 19, 2018, around 9:45 pm,” Sonko declared publicly.
The former city leader also disclosed that after the interview, they proceeded to the Forty-Forty club for some light-hearted amusement before dispersing to their respective homes. Sonko, ready to provide his testimony, indicated he possesses sufficient evidence to support his account.
While Sonko confirmed his association with Maribe on that night, he vehemently denied any knowledge of Jowie Irungu, the primary suspect in the case. “I’ve procured the CCTV footage from the club. However, I have no acquaintance with Jowie Irungu, and I vehemently disapprove of his actions on that day. If he is indeed guilty of murdering Monica Kimani, then justice should take its course. That’s all I wish to state,” Sonko insisted.
Kimani’s lifeless body was discovered in a bathtub in her Kilimani home, with her hands bound by white straps on September 19, 2018. Irungu, the chief suspect in the murder, spent 18 months in detention before being released on a KSh 2 million cash bail on March 11, 2020. The late businesswoman was interred on September 28, 2018, in her parents’ home in Kenyakairi village, Gilgil, Nakuru county.