‘Blatant Lies’: Sakaja Dismisses Claims of Paying Goons Ksh.2M to Disrupt Protests

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has dismissed allegations that he orchestrated a plan to have goons infiltrate the Tuesday, June 17 protests, saying he was out of the city at the time.

Online reports alleged that Sakaja secretly met with Calvin Okoth Otieno, alias Gaucho — the self-proclaimed president of Bunge la Mwananchi — and Swaleh Sonko on Sunday, June 15, to coordinate the disruption of peaceful demonstrations. The protests were demanding the resignation of Deputy Police Inspector General Eliud Lagat over alleged links to the murder of teacher Albert Ojwang.

During the meeting, Sakaja is said to have given the two individuals Ksh.2 million to neutralize the protests.

In a swift response, Sakaja termed the claims as “blatant lies,” explaining that he was in Lugari, Kakamega for a church service and only returned to Nairobi the following day.

To support his statement, the governor shared a screenshot of an air ticket he booked via Skywards and firmly denied having met either Gaucho or Swaleh recently.

> “Such blatant lies. On Sunday, I was in Lugari for Church and came back to Nairobi on Monday afternoon through Kitale via Skywards. Ticket below. I have not seen Gaucho since he attended the Mukuru Housing Launch or Swaleh in many months (everyone knows who he works for),” Sakaja posted on X.

Despite Sakaja’s denial, the governor has continued to face accusations of sponsoring goons who infiltrated the demonstrations and caused chaos in Nairobi’s CBD.

The group, reportedly armed with crude weapons, was seen attacking bystanders, looting from protesters, and vandalizing business premises. In a video that went viral online, the group was captured chanting “Sakaja tumelinda jiji” outside City Hall during the protests.

An exposé further revealed that some of the goons admitted they were hired to sabotage the demonstrations. However, many claim they were shortchanged and have not received the promised payments.

Interestingly, prior to the protests, Sakaja had issued a stern warning against any form of destruction during demonstrations.

> “Even if we are angry, let’s not destroy our property. If we must demonstrate, let us do so peacefully. The next time anyone tries to destroy infrastructure, burn cars, steal from businesses, or cause chaos, they will face the full force of the law,” he stated during a women and youth empowerment event at Sambut Primary School in Kamagut Ward on June 14, 2025.

Article By Suzy Nyongesa.