- A former CEC of Nairobi County died in mysterious circumstances, with the cause of death remaining unknown
- Newton Munene, who served under former governor Mike Sonko, was found dead late Friday, October 10, inside his home in Karen, Nairobi
- His death came weeks after testifying in a corruption case in which Sonko; his testimony was in defence of Sonko
Newton Munene, who previously held the position of Nairobi county executive committee Member for ICT, has died in Nairobi.
Source: UGC
His body was discovered on the evening of Friday, October 10, at his residence in Karen, Nairobi.
Authorities have yet to determine the exact cause of death.
Munene served during the administration of former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko.
How significant was Newton Munene in Mike Sonko’s case?
He was a key witness in an ongoing corruption case involving the county government and Web Tribe Ltd, the company behind JamboPay.
Munene had been providing testimony in support of Sonko, asserting that the former governor had opposed the contract awarded to JamboPay under the leadership of his predecessor, Evans Kidero.
The case revolved around a contentious agreement aimed at digitising county payment systems, with reports indicating that substantial sums may have been misappropriated through the platform.
Following news of Munene’s death, Sonko expressed his sorrow and raised suspicions about the circumstances, suggesting that powerful interests linked to the case may have orchestrated the incident to undermine him.
“Munene’s death occurred just a week after he provided testimony as my defence witness in a case, in which I have been wrongfully accused regarding Webtribe’s Jambo Pay contract. It is deeply regrettable that the cartels have retaliated by taking Munene’s life. I want to make it clear to the public that this act is one of cowardice and must be condemned in the strongest terms possible,” Sonko said.
He claimed that efforts to intimidate him included the killing of individuals set to testify in his defence.
Sonko also alleged that several other witnesses had received threats aimed at discouraging them from appearing in court.
Despite these developments, he reaffirmed his commitment to proving his innocence.
Munene’s body was transported to Lee Funeral Home.
Mike Sonko’s case against JamboPay
The legal team representing for Sonko has distanced his administration from the disputed contract awarded to Web Tribe Ltd.
His defence maintained that Sonko was not legally or administratively bound to uphold systems implemented by previous county leadership.
During proceedings at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court, former county attorney Lydia Kwamboka clarified that the contract with Web Tribe was initiated under the tenure of the first governor, Evans Kidero, aimed at facilitating electronic payment services for county operations.
Source: Twitter
Kwamboka noted that her role was limited to offering legal counsel and handling civil litigation, and that no formal legal proceedings were initiated against the company during her time in office.
The court was presented with two audio clips featuring conversations between Sonko and the then ICT executive, in which Sonko is heard strongly opposing any continued engagement with JamboPay.
Why Sonko was opposed to JamboPay
He criticised the platform as outdated and susceptible to manipulation, which he claimed interfered with the county’s revenue collection systems.
Supporting Sonko’s position, former Finance CEC Allan Igambi testified that although his department processed payments to Web Tribe, he was once pressured by a former solicitor general to fabricate evidence against the governor.
Igambi stated that he declined to comply and emphasised that Sonko’s administration had deliberately chosen not to renew JamboPay’s contract in favour of implementing a more transparent and efficient revenue system.
The corruption case currently before Milimani Anti-Corruption Court involves Sonko, Anthony Otieno Ombok, and ROG Security Limited.
The trial is scheduled to resume next year.
Sonko was elected Nairobi’s second governor in the 2017 vote.
His administration came to an end in late 2020 when he was impeached.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
