Nairobi — The Milimani Anti-Corruption Court has placed former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko on his defence in a high-profile corruption case linked to the irregular award of a 2018 county tender.

In a ruling delivered on Thursday, Magistrate Isabella Barasa said the prosecution had established a case to answer against Sonko and his co-accused, Frederick Odhiambo Oyugi (trading as Yiro Enterprises), ROG Security Limited, and its director, Antony Otieno Ombok, on four counts.

These include conspiracy to commit an economic crime, conflict of interest, and two counts of acquisition of proceeds of crime.

However, the court acquitted the accused of a money laundering charge, citing insufficient evidence to sustain the count.

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The case stems from the award of a Nairobi City County contract for the hire of heavy equipment to Yiro Enterprises in 2018.

Investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) found that Sonko allegedly acquired an indirect private stake in the contract tied to the county government.

According to the prosecution, Sonko received Sh 8.4 million through multiple accounts at Equity Bank from businessman Odhiambo via ROG Security Limited.

The court heard that Sonko, alongside Odhiambo and his communications adviser Ombok, conspired between December 27 and 28, 2018, to commit a corruption offence involving suspected proceeds of crime amounting to Sh 14.1 million.

A total of 10 witnesses testified in support of the prosecution's case.

Magistrate Barasa ruled that the evidence presented met the legal threshold required to place the accused on their defence.

The case will be mentioned on June 4, 2026, for directions ahead of the defence hearing.