A damning recorded phone conversation of a lady presumed to be Nairobi woman representative Esther Passaris begging for money and love from a man believed to be Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko has emerged online.
This comes barely a day after the two politicians
publicly clashed during the Madaraka Day celebrations held at Pumwani
police grounds in Nairobi on Saturday, June 1, and hours after Passaris
tweeted demanding that women be respected.
In the recorded Whatsapp phone call shared on social media
by blogger Robert Alai on Sunday, the lady could be heard bragging to the man
she was speaking to about a political strategy she gave to Opposition leader
Raila Odinga, shortly before she disclosed she needed some financial
assistance.
"I went for a strategy meeting, and I was given some
strategy which I told baba (Raila) to use..and baba listened to me. He used the
strategy at the Jakaranda, ok?
And baba has already told someone, a relative of his that
this one is now going to be my kingpin in Nairobi...So tomorrow at seven
o'clock; we are going to see him (Raila); I want to go with half a million,
everybody is going with KSh 500,000, but me I do not have the money," the
lady said.
In between the call the conversation was interrupted by
another caller before the lady continued to explain how she was expecting help
from some guy who she referred to as Pius and who was not willing to assist, at
which point Sonko agreed to help.
"I will give you KSh 500,000 today...when are you going
to see baba (Raila)?" Sonko inquired. "Seven in the morning
tomorrow," she replied. "Okay, I will give you KSh 500,000
today," he assured.
The two then agreed she will send her personal assistance
who she identified simply as Bush to collect the cash before 3pm.
The conversation then quickly graduated from asking for
financial assistance to political campaign during which the lady offered to
work with and support Sonko.
The county boss could be heard warning her to tell her
political allies not to mention President Uhuru Kenyatta's name during their
political rallies.
Name of former governor Evans Kidero who was Sonko's rival
in the 2017 gubernatorial race also came up and she had nothing good to say
about him.
As the conversation neared the end, the lady, presumably
excited after receiving the help she was looking for, offered to love Sonko
more, to which he said he did not need the love.
"Let me tell you I must love you a lot.." she
said. "For now let me say I do not want you to love me because I have my
wife...Do not love me but I will still help you," he said.
About two days earlier, Sonko and Passaris treated Kenyans
to some sort of a drama when the two leaders met during the Madaraka Day
celebrations.
All hell broke loose when Passaris while delivering her Madaraka
Day speech accused Sonko of sidelining other leaders in the running of Nairobi
county affairs.
She also accused the governor of often snubbing her phone
calls regardless of urgency of the matter at hand, allegations that the county
boss did not take kindly.
In his response, Sonko told off the woman rep for demanding
that he picks her calls saying he is not her husband.
"I do not pick up calls when I am in a meeting like
this one. Sometimes I ring president but he does not return my calls.
I am not your husband to receive your phone calls whenever
you want," the governor said, prompting Passaris to walk out on him,"
he said.
Although it was not immediately clear where the leaked phone
call came from, the Nairobi governor has been known to leak private
conversations he had with other leaders, especially when they cross his
line.
