Governor of Nairobi Arrested …

Gov. Mike Mbuvi Sonko, who has drawn scrutiny for his lavish lifestyle, was accused of money laundering, unlawful acquisition of public property and other economic crimes.

NAIROBI, Kenya — The governor of Kenya’s capital city has made no secret of his love for bling: He has posted photos of a golden lion statue and a gilded dining room set, and has shown up at meetings draped in gold jewelry. At rallies, he hands out cash to supporters. The governor has also been accused of drug trafficking, was recently seen slapping a journalist, and was thrown out of Kenya’s starchy Parliament for wearing ear studs and sunglasses. But he has faced little in the way of serious consequences, until now.

On Friday, the governor, Mike Mbuvi Sonko was arrested and charged with money laundering and unlawful acquisition of property for his alleged involvement in a multimillion dollar corruption scandal. In a news conference in Nairobi, Noordin Haji, the director of public prosecutions, accused Mr. Sonko of “deploying intimidation tactics” and “using goons to threaten law enforcement officials” who were trying to investigate the case. Mr. Sonko denied the accusations against him on Friday, calling the commission’s investigation “shallow” and saying that he had not tried to evade arrest.