Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has been slapped with additional fines totalling Sh21 million or five years in prison after the court sentenced him on money laundering charges arising from the Sh588.7 million Kiambu County road tender corruption scandal.
The latest penalties relate to three counts in which Waititu was convicted over the alleged movement of proceeds from a road construction contract through companies associated with him and his co-accused.
In the sentencing proceedings, the court fined Waititu Sh10 million on Count 10, with five years’ imprisonment in default of payment. On Count 11, he was fined Sh6 million or four years in prison, while Count 12 attracted a Sh5 million fine or four years’ imprisonment.
The court, however, directed that the default prison terms run concurrently, meaning Waititu would serve a maximum of five years in default of payment of the Sh21 million fine.
The court further directed that the sentences be implemented in accordance with earlier High Court orders providing for the money laundering sentences to run concurrently with the sentences already imposed in the corruption case. Waititu is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence following his conviction in the multimillion-shilling corruption scandal.
The court also imposed financial penalties on companies and individuals convicted alongside the former governor.
Saika Two Estate Developers Limited was fined Sh16 million on Count 10 and Sh8 million on Count 12, while Bienvenue Delta Hotel, associated with Waititu and his wife, Susan Wangari Ndung’u, was fined Sh2 million on Count 11.
Charles Chege Mbuthia, a director of Testimony Enterprises Limited, was fined Sh10 million on Count 10 and Sh6 million on Count 11, with default imprisonment terms attached.
Beth Wangechi Mburu was fined Sh2 million on each of the three counts in which she was sentenced.
Testimony Enterprises Limited, the company awarded the disputed road construction contract, was fined Sh16 million on Count 10, Sh12 million on Count 11 and Sh8 million on Count 12. The court ordered the corporate accused persons to settle their respective fines within 14 days, warning that failure to comply would attract the consequences provided under the law.
The case revolves around a Sh588.7 million contract awarded by the Kiambu County Government to Testimony Enterprises Limited for upgrading gravel roads to bituminous standards across several sub-counties. Investigators alleged that the tender was irregularly awarded and that part of the money paid under the contract was subsequently channelled to businesses linked to Waititu and other accused persons.
According to previous investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Saika Two Estate Developers Limited was allegedly used to receive more than Sh25.6 million, while Bienvenue Delta Hotel received Sh7.214 million.
The latest sentencing follows a High Court decision overturning earlier acquittals on the money laundering charges and entering convictions against the affected accused persons.
The additional penalties mark another development in the high-profile corruption case involving the former governor and several businesses linked to the controversial Kiambu County road contract.
