This archive report was first published on 26 August 2019.
Uhuru Ignores Waititu's Pleas as State Moves to Recover Assets ¶
President Uhuru Kenyatta has ignored Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu's repeated calls, leaving the governor to face additional criminal charges as the state moves to recover his assets.
According to sources, Waititu has called the president over five times since his arrest by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), but Uhuru has not picked his calls nor sent a text message.
The Asset Recovery Authority is profiling Waititu's multibillion-shilling investments and will move to court to be placed under a caveat, effectively freezing his assets.
Waititu's attempts to reach out to Uhuru's mother, Mama Ngina Kenyatta, have also been unsuccessful. Mama Ngina advised him to hire the best lawyers, saying the president has no powers to terminate a criminal case facing any Kenyan.
The EACC has completed investigations on the Sh1 billion Kaa Sober programme, which was initiated by Waititu to rehabilitate alcoholics. The programme was taking up Sh2 million per day without the approval of the county assembly.
Between July and December 2018, the Kiambu county government spent over Sh356 million to finance operations of the programme. The EACC has also grilled top officials in the Waititu administration, compounding trouble for the governor already being tried for a Sh588 million corruption case.
Waititu has been accused of massive looting in his county and using the spoils to spruce up his lifestyle, mostly through acquisition of properties, including hotels. The EACC money trail shows that part of the Sh221.5 million already paid out in the irregular Sh588 million tender was deposited in accounts registered under the governor's businesses.
Insiders add that detectives have also completed investigations on how the cash collected daily by the county government is misappropriated. There are claims that over Sh800 million cannot be accounted for, which further complicates matters for the embattled governor.
Waititu has been meeting supporters at Delta Hotel, which he bought from suspected proceeds from the illegal payments. The county boss is of the view that his executive powers allow him to operate from anywhere, rubbishing claims of trying to sabotage his deputy James Nyoro.
Before the court slapped him with a ban, Waititu was taken aback when the chairman of the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation Simon Gicharu rejected his appointment to head a committee on pending bills.
Waititu's woes are compounded by a complaint filed by Kiambu woman representative Gathoni Wa Muchomba with the National Land Commission regarding land deals by Del Monte. Wa Muchomba is demanding a report explaining how the deal between the juice maker and the county government was arrived at and the actual number of acreage surrendered.
