Fresh evidence has surfaced in the ongoing defense hearing of former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko, who is battling graft charges linked to a Sh20 million bribery scandal.

On Thursday, July 17, 2025, retired Senior Principal Magistrate Henry Nyakweba appeared before Milimani Anti-Corruption Principal Magistrate Charles Ondieki and testified that he previously handled a related case involving a businessman accused of bribing Sonko.

Nyakweba told the court he presided over the plea-taking of Praful Kumar Premchand Savla a hotel owner accused of offering bribes to the former governor to secure approval for a controversial construction project.

“In 2018, while serving at the Mombasa Law Courts, I took a plea in anti-corruption case number 10 of 2018 involving Praful Kumar,” said Nyakweba.

According to the charge sheet, on August 20, 2018, Kumar proprietor of the Grand Manor Hotel in Nairobi allegedly offered Sonko Sh5 million at his Kanamai residence in Kilifi County. He later attempted to bribe the governor with an additional Ksh2 million on the same day.

The case, the court heard, involved three counts of offering a bribe, contrary to Section 5(1) read with Section 18(1)(2) of the Bribery Act No. 47 of 2016.

Nyakweba told the court he granted bond to the accused but did not continue with the proceedings after being transferred to Embu Law Courts, where he later retired in 2023.

“I only handled the plea-taking. I haven’t seen the full court file or followed the case after my transfer,” he said.

During cross-examination, State Counsel Wesley Nyamache asked whether Kumar was a party to the current case before the Milimani court. Nyakweba said he could not confirm, noting he had not reviewed the full case file.

The defense hearing is scheduled to resume on Monday, July 21, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.