Mike Sonko opens up on quitting alcohol, weight loss, family & political life

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko says the man Kenyans see today is markedly different from the politician who once dominated headlines with his flamboyant lifestyle, dramatic political battles and unconventional leadership style.

In a candid interview on Citizen’s Digital Beyond the Headline segment, Sonko opened up about a personal transformation that has seen him lose more than 20 kilogrammes, quit alcohol and reduce his nightlife, while becoming more intentional about his faith, family and philanthropy.

The former governor says the change began in December last year when his weight reached 98.9 kilogrammes.

Concerned about his health, Sonko sought the help of a nutritionist and radically changed his diet.

“I went to see my nutritionist. He put me on a special diet, which is just traditional food, avoiding carbs and  starch,” Sonko said.

Ugali, rice, chapati and fatty foods were dropped from his diet, while exercise became part of his routine. Today, he says he weighs 77.6 kilogrammes.

“This kind of change, needs a lot of discipline and consistency,” he said.

Sonko says he has not consumed alcohol since December and has significantly reduced clubbing, a change he says has also strengthened his relationship with God.

“I don't take alcohol at all, since December last year. I reduced clubbing, I am now closer to God. I pray a lot. God has been faithful to me and I am happy because so many things have drastically changed in my life,”he said

Behind Sonko's public image is another story he speaks about with unusual introspection, that is his fatherhood journey.

Sonko became a father while still a teenager and says the experience has shaped the way he approaches parenting today.

He acknowledged that becoming a parent at 17 or 18, followed by a turbulent period in his life that included imprisonment and the death of his daughter Saumu's mother, affected his family.

He also reflected on his daughter’s becoming mothers at relatively young ages and questioned whether his own example may have influenced them.

“I don't blame my daughters for becoming mothers at an early age. Maybe it is because of what they saw from their father,” he said.

For Sonko, the experience taught him a lesson he now considers central to raising children.

“Parenting is very, very, very important when you are raising kids,” he said.

“Going forward, I decided to be keen on matters pertaining to family. That's why you see I'm very serious when I'm raising kids which are not mine. Because it's a lesson learnt,” he added.

The former governor says he does not regret taking responsibility for children beyond his biological family, arguing that how children are raised can fundamentally alter the direction of their lives.

Sonko also traces his political rise back not to party structures or political strategy, but to the charity work that made him popular in Nairobi.

After leaving prison and building his businesses, Sonko says he formed the Sonko Rescue Team and began paying school fees, assisting families with funeral expenses and supporting vulnerable households.

That work, he argues, eventually created the public following that propelled him into elective politics.

“I decided to just focus on helping the poor, because I believe that helping the needy is also doing God's work,” he said.

He would later become Makadara MP, Nairobi Senator and eventually Nairobi Governor.

Years after leaving City Hall, Sonko says the charity work has continued.

Through the Sonko Rescue Team, he says his organisation still assists families with funerals, transport, hospital bills and school fees.

“For instance, this week I've got 19 funerals, transporting bodies of deceased to various parts of Kenya, helping families,” he said.

According to Sonko, the assistance is offered regardless of ethnic, political or religious affiliation.

“Hatuangalii kabila, hatuangalii chama, hatuangalii dini, we just help all Kenyans.”

Asked why he continues spending his resources on people despite no longer holding public office, Sonko described philanthropy as inseparable from his identity.

“Being a philanthropist is part of me, part of my life, and I like doing it.”

But Sonko's transformation comes against the backdrop of a political career interrupted by his impeachment as Nairobi Governor in 2020.

Looking back, Sonko accepts some personal responsibility for the confrontational style that characterised his time at City Hall, even as he maintains that powerful political interests contributed to his downfall.

“I was impeached, for the love I had for people,” he said and it was also because of also my ‘kiherehere.’ You know, I meant well,” he explained.

Sonko alleges that his refusal to cooperate with individuals he describes as cartels, as well as disagreements with the then national government, contributed to the deterioration of his relationship with the administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“Because I think that's one of the reasons I was removed, because I refused to go to bed with them,” he claimed.

He also remains deeply critical of how his subsequent legal battles were handled and insists he will continue pursuing legal avenues over his impeachment and political eligibility.

Despite the bruising end to his tenure, Sonko says he has not abandoned politics and would seek elective office again should the legal path allow it.

Yet when asked how he would want Kenyans to remember him long after the politics, controversies and public battles are gone, Sonko's answer was brief.

It is an identity he says matters beyond holding office.

“I'm still helping wananchi, even if I'm not the governor,” he said.

And when asked who he turns to when he is the one facing difficult moments, Sonko had an even shorter answer.

For a politician whose public life has often been defined by spectacle and controversy, Sonko now appears keen to write a different chapter one centred on family, faith and service.