Sonko falls out of favour with State House

Once a close friend of President Uhuru Kenyatta, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko now seems to have been relegated to the periphery by the Head of State.

From being given a wide berth during important occasions in the county as well as those involving his fellow governors, the once “first among equals” governor – who was always just an ear-shot away from the President – has lately been stripped off the privileges.

The City Hall boss has been missing from a number of State functions attended by President Kenyatta since August, a clear indication that he has fallen out of favour with the powers-that-be.

He was missing at a meeting between President Kenyatta and boda-boda riders in Pumwani. The meeting was attended by Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Director-General, Maj-Genl Mohammed Badi.

Mr Sonko was also not among governors who met with the President on November 4, 2020, during a summit on the Covid-19 pandemic.

His presence in Parliament last week during the State of the Nation address by the President did not go unnoticed, and it did not go down well for the Speaker who had invited him, with the President not amused by the turn of events.