Former Nairobi Governor, Mike Sonko and members of his family have been banned from travelling to the United States over corruption allegations during his time in office.
Counsellor for Public Affairs, Eric Watnik announced the decision on Tuesday at the American Embassy in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The decision is based on Sonko’s “involvement in significant corruption” during his reign as Governor of Nairobi.
Sonko’s wife Primrose Mbuvi and their children Saumu, Salma and an underaged son have all been barred from the entering the US by the American government.
“His (Sonko’s) corruption has been widely reported in local and international press. With this designation the department reaffirms the need for accountability, transparency and respect for rule of law in Kenya’s democratic institutions, government processes and the actions of the public officials,” said Watnik.
“The United States will continue to use all tools available to combat corruption and promote respect for human rights globally.”
Watnik issued the statement on behalf of US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken.
Sonko was also accused of bribery and awarding of contracts to his closest associates when he was at City Hall.
“The department has credible information that the former governor was involved in significant corruption when serving as governor of Nairobi. We determined that he received bribes in kickbacks in exchange for irregular awarding of contracts to his associates for personal gains,”
While the US does not have a value of the extent of Sonko’s alleged proceeds from corruption, it said there are enough evidence to take an action on his case.
“The action today is based on information available to us and we believe that the information is proven and significantly credible. It touches on corruption in terms of kickbacks for illegal awarding of contracts. I cannot get into hypothetical but it may not be affected by the court’s determination, ” Watnik said.
Sonko is the second Kenyan banned from travelling to the US in Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration.