You think Senator Dino Melaye is extravagant? Wait Until you meet Mbuvi Gideon Kioko Mike Sonko The Kenyan Governor..

It goes without saying that the African political scene has been blessed with quite a number of interesting characters. Stories and tales of their larger than life lifestyles are so out of this world, they usually read like a page from a poorly written fiction model. Sadly but truly these stories are a reality.

You think Senator Dino Melaye is extravagant? You’ve not met Mbuvi Gideon Kioko Mike Sonko.

The 42-year-old Governor of Nairobi assumed office in August 2017 after being a Representative and Senator from 2010-2013 and 2013-2017 respectively. That’s kinda like Dino, who first had a stint at the National Assembly before moving on up to the Senate.

The similarity between Melaye is so stunning that when you Google Sonko, the Kogi senator comes up as well. Interestingly, he too has a taste for the finer things in life: the man is fascinated with gold jewellery.

He’s been in the news for his excessive jewellery, gold plated cars and looking more like an American hip-hop pimp than a public servant. Even his name is an ode to riches: he named himself ‘Sonko’ meaning ‘rich man’.

Sonko has been widely criticised for his flamboyant life which is a far cry from when he was a jailbird who did time for petty theft and street mugging.

As governor he has refused to live in the government house, taking residence at the ritzy Nairobi Safari Club in the presidential suite no less.

The hotel life, like the golden life, is far from cheap and has cost the governor Sh1.8 million (roughly $17,000) since he took office about three months ago. The governor proudly provided copies of the receipts to the press and proudly declared that he ‘has not taken a single cent from the country to pay for his room’.

What a champ! What an unsung hero huh!