A police officer has told a Nairobi court that JamboPay Director Danson Muchemi allegedly tried to bribe former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko with up to Sh5 million per day to secure a lucrative county revenue collection contract.

Chief Inspector Kiptoo Kisorio, currently serving as the Sub-County Police Commander in Hulugho, Garissa County, made the revelation on Wednesday while testifying before Milimani Principal Magistrate Charles Ondieki in a defence hearing for Sonko, who is facing a Sh20 million corruption case.

The officer recounted that in January 2019, while serving in Mtwapa, Kilifi County, he was summoned by the Deputy DCIO and introduced to Sonko, who claimed that Muchemi was making repeated visits to his Kanamai residence with intentions to offer a bribe.

"The former governor said Muchemi was visiting him at his Kanamai residence. He wanted help arresting him if he attempted to bribe him," Kisorio told the court.

Kisorio said that after receiving the complaint, officers booked a report—OB 35/10/01/2019—at Mtwapa Police Station and launched an undercover operation. Sonko was provided with a Sony ICD-PX 470 audio recorder, serial number 1161788, and instructed to record his next meeting with Muchemi.

"We instructed the governor to record everything. The meeting lasted a while, and at some point, another person whom I do not know briefly came in and left. After the meeting ended, the governor handed us the recorder," the officer testified.

Kisorio told the court that the recorded meeting lasted 57 minutes and was reviewed back at the station. He said the content of the audio left him shocked.

"What struck me was that Muchemi openly told the governor that if he agreed to work with him, he would be getting Sh4 to Sh5 million daily. He also claimed that former Governor Evans Kidero made Sh7 billion from the same revenue collection deal," he said.

Kisorio requested the court to allow him to play the audio recording in court as part of Sonko’s defence. Magistrate Ondieki, however, deferred the session and adjourned the matter to Thursday, July 17 at 9:30 am when the controversial audio is expected to be played.

"We believe the audio evidence will further shed light on the depth of corruption in the revenue collection tender," Kisorio added.

He was testifying as the fourth defence witness in the case where Sonko is charged alongside businessman Patrick Ombok. The two were put on their defence earlier this year after the court ruled in February that the prosecution had made a prima facie case.

Sonko is facing seven counts of corruption. Ombok is expected to defend him in five of the counts, while eleven more defence witnesses are lined up to appear in court in the coming days.