• The commission says during his stay in office, Waititu, his wife and companies associated with them amassed assets worth Sh1,937,709,376 through fictitious and fraudulent procurement contracts.
• Waititu was the Kabete MP from 2015 to 2017 and the Kiambu governor between 2017 and January 2020 when his impeachment was upheld by Senate.
Image: FILE
The anti-corruption commission has filed a suit seeking to recover Sh1.9 billion worth of assets from former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission says the former county boss acquired the assets through unexplained means.
His wealth, the commission says, is not commensurate to his known and legitimate sources of income at the time he held public office between 2015 and 2020.
The commission says investigations revealed that Waititu abused his position of trust as the Member of Parliament for Kabete Constituency and as the Governor of Kiambu County for private gain by engaging in transactions which were in conflict with the public interest.
Waititu was the Kabete MP from 2015 to 2017 and the Kiambu governor between 2017 and January 2020 when his impeachment was upheld by Senate.
The commission says during his stay in office, Waititu, his wife and companies associated with them amassed assets worth Sh1,937,709,376 through fictitious and fraudulent procurement contracts.
It also accuses the ex-county boss of directly trading with the County through companies registered in the names of his wife and their daughter.
According to the commission, Waititu concealed his private interests in tenders awarded to companies contracted to offer services to the County Government of Kiambu.
“The contractors, upon payment, transferred proceeds of the fraudulent procurement contracts to Mr Waititu, his wife Susan Wangari and their companies as kick-backs," EACC said.
The commission listed Saika Two Estates Developers Limited, Bienvenue Delta Hotel and Bins Management Services Limited as the companies in question.
The commission said Waititu amassed Sh928,873,317 and his wife Sh282,871,658.
Some Sh906, 329, 068 went to Saika Two Estate Developers Limited, Bienvenue Delta Hotel got Sh56,924,332 while Bins Management Services Limited received Sh62,711,000.
In the suit, EACC says Waititu then used the ill-gotten proceeds to acquire five high-end vehicles, 15 properties and 3 multi-storey buildings within Nairobi to conceal the funds.
The EACC says the suit against him is part of the ongoing recovery of public funds from several governors suspected to have accumulated illicit wealth.
Anti-graft CEO Twalib Mbarak said the case against Waititu is part of the institution's strategy to recover public funds and assets from a number of governors suspected of fraudulently acquiring public funds.
"EACC warns all state and public officers who have embezzled public resources, especially during this transition period, that they will face the full force of law," Mbarak said.