The High Court has issued orders freezing assets worth Ksh.1.9 billion, comprising 18 parcels of land and seven motor vehicles, belonging to former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu.
This after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in May 2022 filed a suit that, among other things, sought to have Waititu substantiate the source of the assets he is said to have acquired during his stint as Kabete Member of Parliament and later on as Kiambu Governor.
Investigations by the anti-graft watchdog state that Waititu awarded irregular tenders to contractors who then forwarded the proceeds of the sham procurement contracts to his bank accounts and that of his wife as well as three companies registered under his spouse’s names.
The companies on the spot are; Saika Two Estate Developers Limited, Bienvenue Delta Hotel and Bins Management Services Limited.
“He also traded with the county through companies registered in the names of his wife and their daughter Monica Njeri Ndungu, who upon receipt of payments from the county transferred money to him,” a source at EACC told Citizen Digital.
“As a result, he accumulated assets worth Ksh.1,937,709,376.54 which is disproportionate to his known legitimate sources of income for the period between 2015 and 2020.”
When EACC filed the petition, it wanted the court to issue an injunction barring Waititu from alienating the 18 parcels of land and selling the seven motor vehicles.
The agency also wanted Waititu to surrender the vehicles alongside their log books, and for the former Governor to deposit, in a joint interest earning account in the name of both the Commission and a nominated Defendant, a sum of Ksh.24.6 million being the value of cited motor vehicles as security.
EACC similarly sought to have Waititu barred from collecting income generated from the Bienvenue Delta Hotel.
In its ruling on Thursday, the court issued an injunction order preventing Waititu from alienating the 18 parcels of land.
“The Defendants shall deposit Ksh.24.6 million, being the value of the motor vehicles, in a joint interest earning account within 7 days,” said the court.
“In the alternative, the Defendants furnish the Commission with a bank guarantee for Ksh.24.6 million within 7 days, failing which the Commission shall seize the motor vehicles.”
The court also ceded to EACC’s request to have Waititu barred from collecting income from Bienvenue Delta Hotel.
“The Commission be and is hereby granted leave to appoint a Receiver in respect of Bienvenue Delta Hotel within the meaning of section 56A of ACECA,” ruled the court.
The case will be mentioned on May 24, 2023.
