Drama ensued at the Nairobi Hospital on Tuesday, February 9, when police arrived and picked up former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.
Sonko was today (Tuesday) expected to appear in Court for the ruling of his assault case.
Sonko had been admitted to the hospital on Monday night after complaining of stomach complications and high blood pressure while at the Gigiri police cells.
Ahead of the court session, police were informed the former governor was at the hospital.
They drove there and picked him up and took him to the court at around 11.15 am.
It is not clear if the doctors at the hospital cleared the transfer given he had been there for more than six hours.
Witnesses said the hospital management avoided any drama and allowed him to be taken away.
He appeared in court in the company of an ambulance medic. This came ahead of his two key rulings in court on if he should be released on bond.
On Tuesday, a Kiambu Magistrate’s court is first expected to rule on his application to be released on bond in a multiple case of assault and robbery he is facing.
A Kahawa West court is also expected to make a ruling on an application by the police to be allowed to detain Sonko for 30 days as they investigate terror-related charges.
Sonko was admitted with stomach complications ahead of the key court rulings.
Officials aware of the developments said Sonko was rushed to hospital from Gigiri police station aboard an ambulance and admitted there.
The ex-governor was set to know if he will be freed after the rulings.
A Kiambu Magistrate’s court will first rule on his application to be released on bond in a multiple case of assault and robbery he is facing.
A Kahawa West court was also expected to make a ruling on an application by the police to be allowed to detain Sonko for 30 days as they investigate terror-related charges.
His legal team is concerned with reports that police plan to revive old cases that they believe were settled.
Over the weekend, plainclothes officers from the Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) arrested seven of his aides, adding the list to nine of the aides that have been put in police custody after being linked to terrorism activities.
Sonko’s woes seem to be far from over, after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) commenced investigations into how he allegedly faked his death in 2005.
Besides probing Sonko’s “alleged death”, the DCI has also launched further investigations into several past cases, that the former flamboyant governor is linked to.
According to reports, the detectives are said to have begun the probe following a request from Shimo La Tewa Prison where Sonko is said to have escaped from.
Kinoti was, however, quick to dismiss claims by Sonko’s allies and friends that he is being persecuted for allegedly reading from a different political script with the powers that be.
“DCI is a professional entity that conducts its investigations in accordance with the law. We are completely non-partisan in politics,” Kinoti said.
Sonko is expected to be questioned over a fake death certificate bearing his name, and purportedly issued on June 20, 2005. The cause of death was indicated as cardio-pulmonary arrest.
Sonko’s escape from Shimo La Tewa facility has always been a source of heated debate between himself and State authorities.
Various accounts indicate that Sonko escaped from the maximum prison some 20 years ago.
He is said to have been released in 2001 after allegedly claiming that he was HIV positive and epileptic.