Former Nairobi County Attorney Lydia Kwamboka has defended former Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko over the controversial Web Tribe/JamboPay revenue collection contract, arguing that Sonko’s administration was under no obligation to retain outdated systems inherited from previous county regimes.
Testifying before Chief Magistrate Charles Ondieki on Monday, Kwamboka told the court that Web Tribe Limited had originally been contracted by the defunct City Council of Nairobi to handle revenue collection. When asked why no legal action was taken against the company, she clarified that her office did not deal with criminal matters.
Another witness, former Nairobi County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for ICT, Newtone Munene, recounted that upon assuming office, a colleague introduced a memo proposing the termination of the JamboPay contract and the hiring of a new service provider.
Munene told the court that the former governor questioned the efficiency of the existing payment system, claiming it lacked accurate data necessary for decision-making.
“My job was to ensure I provided him with a proper data centre. Web Tribe was collecting revenue, and strangely, they would collect money and pay themselves directly,” Munene testified. “Governor Sonko was very vocal about it because it was against the law, and he decided to terminate their contract.”
The court also heard an alleged phone recording between Sonko and the then ICT CEC, in which the former governor firmly rejected any discussions about JamboPay. In the audio, Sonko is heard declaring that his administration would not “inherit problems from past regimes.” He also complained that the payment system was being switched off by unknown individuals and directed his team to migrate to a more advanced system, arguing that the software had been in use for “over 20 years.”
According to Sonko’s defense team, the former governor maintained that renewing the JamboPay contract was not in Nairobi’s best interest. They argued that the decision to modernize the revenue collection system was a deliberate effort to enhance transparency and efficiency.
Munene further testified that Web Tribe had failed to deliver sufficient value to the county despite managing a vital public service. The court also heard that former Nairobi County Executive Committee Member for Finance, Allan Esabwa Igambi, who oversaw the county’s financial management during Sonko’s tenure, was involved in related fiscal operations.
The case is set to be mentioned again on January 29, 2026.
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