Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - During the emotional burial of journalist Kimani Mbugua in Maragua, Murang’a County, former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko revealed that his daughter, Saumu Mbuvi, has battled the same mental health condition that affected the late media personality.
Speaking to mourners, Sonko shared that Saumu had been
diagnosed with bipolar disorder, insisting that mental illness affects people
across all walks of life.
“The rich also cry, we also suffer in silence,” Sonko said,
adding that his family’s experience mirrors the struggles faced by many.
He explained that despite having the means to seek treatment
abroad, he chose to have Saumu treated locally at Mama Amina’s Rehabilitation
Centre in Mombasa - alongside Kimani and former boxing champion Conjestina
Achieng.
“It’s not that I didn’t have money to treat my daughter in
the US or London,” he said.
“I wanted other patients to see that even my family was
going through the same thing.”
Sonko expressed gratitude for Saumu’s recovery and used the
moment to advocate for mental health awareness.
As President of Good Deeds Kenya, he recalled how media
personality Oga Obinna had reached out to him for help with Kimani’s case.
Sonko arranged for Kimani and his father to be flown from
Mathare Mental Hospital to Mombasa for rehabilitation.
The former Citizen TV host took his own life while in
rehabilitation and his death has reignited national conversations around mental
health, especially among men and media professionals.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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