Mike Sonko ditches Azimio for DP Ruto's Kenya Kwanza

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has decamped from Azimio la Umoja One Kenya for Deputy President William Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza.

Confirming the move ,DP Ruto took to his official social media handle to welcome  Sonko to his alliance.

“We welcome @MikeSonko to Kenya Kwanza, the winning team,” DP Ruto tweeted. 

Sonko exit from Azimio comes barely a day after he threatened to throw his weight behind UDA's Hassan Omar after the High Court locked him from contesting for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat. 

Sonko in turn accused the Raila-Odinga led coalition of having a hand in the ruling claiming Azimio was out to  frustrate his bid in support of ODM candidate Abdulswamad Nassir who he said was a 'State project'.

He said that if his running mate, Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo, would not be cleared to run on the Wiper ticket by the electoral body he would Shift his support to Mr Omar.

"I was cleared alongside my Deputy Governor Ali Mbogo. The impeachment was for Sonko not for Mbogo. We are pleading with IEBC and the government to clear Ali Mbogo to vie as governor," said Sonko in an interview with a local television station.

"If they fail we are not going to support a puppet we will support Hassan Omar and UDA instead of supporting a puppet and a project."

The High Court on Thursday invalidated a petition by Sonko that sought to compel IEBC to include his name in the ballot papers.

Sonko had filed the petition on grounds that he still had an active appeal case, pertaining to his 2020 impeachment, at the East Africa Court of Justice but the three-judge High Court bench upheld a Supreme Court ruling that found his removal from office to be constitutional.