Nairobi — Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko was flown to Wilson Airport Friday afternoon following a dramatic arrest in Voi where Ethics and Ati-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives caught up with him while he was reportedly on the run.
A video shared widely online showed the county chief who is due to be arraigned in court on graft related charges resisting arrest following police officers to handcuff him before forcing him into a police helicopter at the Ikanga airstrip in Taita Taveta.
EACC confirmed Sonko's attempted escape despite the first-time Governor refuting claims that he resisted arrest in a statement shared by his office Friday afternoon.
"EACC confirms that Nairobi City County Governor Mike Sonko Mbuvi has been arrested while escaping arrest at a roadblock in Voi and is being transferred to Nairobi to face charges of corruption and economic crime," the anti-graft agency tweeted.
Haji placed Sonko at the centre of a scandal involving embezzlement of public funds totaling 357.4 million.
Sonko and eight other City Hall officials are accused of conflict of interest having, "facilitated and/or benefitted from the irregular procurement and payments amounting to Sh357, 390,299 million."