Former Nairobi County Governor Mike Sonko will remain in custody for two days.
Sonko was on Tuesday arraigned in a Kiambu court charged with various counts of assault and forcible entry of property in Buruburu Phase Four.
He will remain in custody until February 4 when the ruling on cash bail will be made.
He will be remanded at Gigiri police station.
Sonko denied the charges of forcible entry and nine counts of assault causing bodily harm with the prosecution arguing that he should be denied bail.
Sonko is being represented by Senior Counsel John Khaminwa, Assa Nyakundi and Danstan Omari.
Chief Inspector Geoffrey Ndatho in an affidavit told the court headed by Senior Principal Magistrate Stella Atambo that the offence occurred on May 25, 2019, at LR NRB block 78/863 at Kamukunji subcounty in Nairobi county.
The court heard that Sonko left his office at City Hall while he was the Nairobi Governor and proceeded to Buruburu Phase Four while accompanied by youths whom under his utterances caused the commission of the offences.
Ndatho said that Sonko is being investigated for other criminal offences within the country.
The investigating officer said that Sonko has contact with the residents of Nairobi and can interfere with the witnesses.
The court heard that Sonko has been charged with a serious offence and if found guilty he shall be sentenced to serve a custodial sentence and therefore there is a high probability and incentive for him to abscond court attendance.
The court also heard that there is a high likelihood that Sonko would interfere and intimidate key prosecution witness if released on bail because other perpetrators are still at large and they are believed to be his followers.
They also heard that he has a lot of influence in Nairobi county and there is the possibility of interfering with ongoing investigations.
“There is a likelihood of Sonko or his followers directly or indirectly to interfere with key witnesses if he is released on bail,” the court was told.
The Key witnesses are known to Sonko whose statements need to be protected and deducted for their safety before they testify.
The court also heard that Sonko was charged in Mombasa chief magistrate court criminal case No. 275 of 2001.
He obtained anticipatory bail in Nairobi high court application No. 244 of 2001 but failed to attend the subordinate court.
“Sonko is said to be a flight risk and has no respect for the law going by his past where he has absconded court attendance after having being released on bond,” the court heard.
The prosecution is seeking custodial orders to:
1. Detain him to conclude investigations
2. Take him to a Mombasa court where he has warrant of arrest for a pending case
3. Prevent him from accessing and intimidating witnesses
He was presented in court after spending the night at Gigiri police station.
