• Waititu says he was not poor before becoming governor
•Residents concerned over rate at which he is buying property
Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has told critics of sources of his wealth that they would go insane or commit suicide if they knew his property.
Waititu was responding to allegations that he has bought four buildings, some in Nairobi county, worth over Sh2 billion since he took over as governor.
“People should stop being jealous. When you hear someone has his own building, one should look for theirs. When someone is being elected for any seat they are not poor; they have their own plans and I had mine," he said.
"My first building in Nairobi is not 20 years and if I took some of my critics to Nairobi they would become insane if they knew the buildings I own. I only wear a simple shirt and move forward. I do not like to talk about wealth because it belongs to the owner, his wife and children."
Waititu said people should look into his history well as "the way he lives now is the same way he used to stay over 20 years ago".
“I would be living in the old Muthaiga where those who got property long ago live. Ask those who know me well. I am lucky because some people look at my face and think I am not clever but I do not care. Then they get amazed at how I went to the other side,” Waititu said.
He urged people not to judge harshly if they have no proof of what one owns unless the owner of the properties showed them.
If anyone doubts how he acquired his buildings, they can go to the Survey of Kenya and inquire or give information to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, he said.
Waititu attributed the information circulating over his property to his political detractors who, he said, were keen to challenge him for the seat come 2022.
Residents who spoke to the Star over Waititu’s defence said he has started to brag and it will not end well for him. They told him to focus on delivering services to Kiambu people.
“Waititu should not start to defend himself in public over his properties as it is getting out of hand. By bragging, he is spitting on Wanjiku who has nothing to eat, no property, jobs no medicine in hospitals,” Kiambu town resident Esther Njambi said.
Mwangi Muthiora, a Githunguri resident, said Waititu is "drunk with power, is a perennial liar and his greed for wealth is insatiable".
“Barely a week ago he was on camera admitting that he has bought several pieces of land in Eastlands from land grabbers, is that genuine wealth? His statements border on arrogance and insults towards hardworking Kenyans and the people of Kiambu who have earned their wealth in an honest and genuine way," Muthiora said.
Julius Kimore, a Thika-based trader, said, "Kenyans are not fools and this will not deter Kiambu people from asking hard questions on how their taxes are being utilised."
"Besides, the rate at which he is buying properties is alarming regardless of his ability to access financial services," he said.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)
Image: Stanley Njenga