This archive report was first published on 28 October 2019.
Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has been charged with corruption and is facing a possible removal from office. In a desperate bid to save his job, he has sent emissaries to reach out to ODM leader Raila Odinga to plead with President Uhuru Kenyatta to drop the corruption cases against him.
According to sources, Waititu held private talks with Kiambu branch ODM officials last week, where he prevailed upon them to facilitate his meeting with Raila. However, the officials were non-committal, only assuring him that they would do their best to reach out to Raila.
Waititu's efforts to save his job come at a time when he is facing mounting pressure from a lobby group that has started collecting signatures to petition his removal. The group, dubbed Okoa Kiambu, launched its drive last week and is seeking to collect signatures that will eventually lead to a petition to kick out the governor, should it sail through in the county assembly as required under the law.
The coordinator of the lobby, Hoswell Kinuthia, told journalists that their move was informed by the decision of the court to bar Waititu from office due to an ongoing corruption case against him. Kinuthia claimed that the governor had allegedly failed in Chapter 6 of the constitution on leadership and integrity after being charged in court with corruption.
Waititu has been out of office since July, when he was charged with six counts of corruption, including irregular tendering. Deputy Governor James Nyoro has been acting as governor since then.
Meanwhile, Kiambu MCAs have started the process of kicking out Waititu's allies from the cabinet. Last week, 62 out of 92 MCAs signed a motion to impeach sports, youth and ICT executive Karungowa Thangwa, a key ally of Waititu.
