This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
Waititu: Pressure Mounts on Embattled Kiambu Governor to Resign Amid Graft Purge ¶
Published on July 29, 2019
Leaders associated with the Kieleweke faction of the Jubilee party have called for the resignation of Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu over graft scandals.
The nominated MP Maina Kamanda led the group in demanding Waititu's resignation, citing the seriousness of corruption allegations facing the governor.
Addressing journalists in Nyandarua county on Sunday, July 28, Kamanda said, 'Everyone should carry his or her own cross. Even if I am the one, I will carry my own cross. No community should carry the burden of one individual.'
The statement was seen as a veiled attack against politicians allied to Deputy President William Ruto, who have been defending corruption suspects.
Waititu, a close ally of Ruto, is among high-profile leaders facing corruption-related charges. He was arrested on Sunday after presenting himself to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), ending a two-day cat-and-mouse game with EACC detectives.
He, his wife Susan Wangari, and other suspects are accused of embezzling KSh 588 million meant for development roads in Kiambu county.
Waititu could become the next casualty of Justice Mumbi Ngugi's July 24, 2019, ruling, which rendered unconstitutional Section 62 (6) of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act that protected state officers from stepping aside when facing criminal charges.
