Court told JamboPay's director allegedly offered Sonko Sh4-5 million daily bribe for revenue tender
Chief Inspector Kiptoo Kisorio told the court how an undercover operation was mounted in January 2019 in Mtwapa, Kilifi County, following a tip-off from Sonko himself.
A senior police officer has revealed before an Anti-Corruption Court that JamboPay (Webtribe Ltd) Director Danson Muchemi allegedly attempted to bribe former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko with between Sh4 million and Sh5 million daily to secure a lucrative revenue collection tender.
Chief Inspector Kiptoo Kisorio, currently the Sub-County Police Commander in Hulugho, Garissa County, on Wednesday told Milimani Principal Magistrate Charles Ondieki how an undercover operation was mounted in January 2019 in Mtwapa, Kilifi County, following a tip-off from Sonko himself.
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He was testifying in a defence hearing of Mike Sonko, who is charged with a Sh20 million graft case.
The officer recalled that on January 10, 2019, around 11:00 am, he was summoned by the Deputy DCIO Mtwapa to his office.
He said it was there that he met the then-Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.
According to the officer, Sonko had raised the alarm that Muchemi, a key figure behind Webtribe Ltd (trading as JamboPay), was making underhanded efforts to retain a controversial Nairobi County revenue collection contract that had become the subject of intense scrutiny.
"The former governor said Muchemi was visiting him at his Kanamai residence. He wanted help arresting him if he attempted to bribe him," Kisorio said.
Following the governor's request, Kisorio and his team booked an official report, OB 35/10/01/2019, at Mtwapa Police Station. Officers then equipped Sonko with a Sony ICD-PX 470 audio recorder (Serial No. 1161788) to secretly tape the meeting at his home.
"We instructed the governor to record everything. The meeting lasted a while, and at some point, another person whom I do not know briefly came in and left. After the meeting ended, the governor handed us the recorder," Kisorio testified.
Upon reviewing the 57-minute recording back at the station, the officer said he was shocked by what he heard.
"What struck me was that Muchemi openly told the governor that if he agreed to work with him, he would be getting Sh4 to Sh5 million daily. He also claimed that former Governor Evans Kidero made Sh7 billion from the same revenue collection deal," Kisorio told the court.
Kisorio asked the court to allow him to play the audio recording as part of Sonko's defence. However, Magistrate Ondieki postponed the playback session and adjourned proceedings to Thursday, July 17 at 9:30 am, when the controversial recording is expected to be heard in open court.
"We believe the audio evidence will further shed light on the depth of corruption in the revenue collection tender," Kisorio added.
The officer, who had been stood down until Thursday, was testifying as the fourth defence witness in the Sh20 million corruption case facing Sonko. The former governor is battling seven charges of graft, in a case filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Eleven more witnesses are expected to testify in favour of Sonko.
Sonko is jointly charged with businessman Patrick Ombok, who is expected to defend him in five of the seven counts.
The two were placed on their defence earlier this year after the court ruled in February 2025 that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against them.
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