Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko on Tuesday claimed he is worth more than the county’s Sh38 billion annual budget.
City Hall tabled a Sh32 billion budget in June for the 2018/2019 financial year.
The governor made the claim in an interview on NTV’s Sidebar Show while responding to claims of misuse of public funds leveled against him.
He said he would never divert public funds to his private investments.
Sonko paraded a heap of title deeds and vehicle logbooks as part of his wealth, saying if he liquidated all his assets he will be worth more than the county’s annual budget.
The governor explained that his wealth has grown from the matatu business he was running before becoming Makadara MP.
DIFFERENT BANKS
“I’m worth more than the annual budget of Nairobi and I’ve got some fixed deposit accounts about USD5 million in different banks. And I put this money even way back before I became an MP from the proceeds which I used to get. I always put money where the money is I don’t have to announce where I get my profits from if I buy a property at 10 million after 10 years I can sell that property at a profit because the value of profits appreciates every day,” he said.
Sonko explained how he used to bank Sh4 million from his Mombasa club profits every Monday, adding that he has always been in business.
The governor carried bank statements dated 2007 showing how together with his wife they would bank small amounts of money from their matatu business.