Former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko has taken to social media with an emotional response after his daughter, Salma Mbuvi, was allegedly assaulted by her boyfriend, an incident he says has left him shaken and determined to speak out.
In a statement shared on his platforms, Sonko said he rushed Salma to the hospital after receiving a distress call in which she was crying and terrified following an altercation at her home.
“Can you come for me… I just asked for breakfast, and I was slapped twice,” he quoted her as saying, adding that she had also called her mother in tears.
In part of the video shared online, an angry Sonko was also seen confronting Salma’s boyfriend in a room at their home.
“Unanipigia mtoto kwa nini? Hii kifua yote unapiga mtoto mdogo hivi kwa nini?” he barked.
In the middle of the confrontation, one of Sonko’s close protection officers momentarily slapped the man claimed to be Salma’s boyfriend, before Sonko hurriedly intervened and warned him against doing it.
Shortly after, Salma is heard protesting her boyfriend’s assault, “Usipigie bwana yangu”
Sonko nevertheless issued a stern warning to the boyfriend, whom he intensely questioned in the video, reminding him that he had supported him in countless ways, from buying him a Range Rover Vogue to paying his rent, his children’s school fees, and all other family expenses.
In the post, Sonko continued to share that he instructed Salma to pack her belongings, insisting that his security team was prepared to respond forcefully to the incident, had it not been for his intervention.
“If my own daughter can be harassed in her own house, what about the countless young women and men in Kenya who suffer silently? If children from well-off families are being beaten, what about the daughters of the poor?” he posed in the post.
Urging Kenyans to seek help without fear or shame, Sonko called on young couples to communicate more openly.
“It is not a shame to speak out. Many people are suffering in silence. We must talk about these things,” he said.
Sonko’s decision to disclose the matter publicly has ignited widespread debate online, with many commending him for refusing to hide a family crisis.
Dennis Prince wrote on Instagram: “GBV’s impact is often invisible until it hits home, affecting you or someone close. That’s when most people truly understand its severity.”
Another user added: “As parents, we all feel that pain. You controlled your anger; we don’t support that violent act. No one should hit or harm another. But action should be taken against him — he must face consequences.”
Others used the moment to make humorous appeals to the well-known philanthropist: “Sonko, mimi nimepigwa na msoto, nieke hata ya mfuko sonkoree… Financial violence, sir.”