Waititu Misses Court Again in Ksh588M Graft Case

Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu at Movenpick Hotel during Council of Governor's election on January 20, 2020.
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu at Movenpick Hotel during Council of Governor's election on January 20, 2020.
Kenyans.co.ke

Update: Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu was ordered to present himself at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) for examination after he missed three court session due to an alleged illness. 

The court issued the directives and further ordered the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPD) to appoint a team of three doctors to assess Waititu. 

This was after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution lamented that Waititu was dragging the case by claiming that he had contracted Covid-19.


The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Noordin Haji is contemplating having former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu's bond cancelled after he skipped court for the third time in his Ksh588 million graft case. 

 

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji addresses a press conference at his office in Upperhill, Nairobi on Thursday, March 5, 2020.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji addresses a press conference at his office in Upperhill, Nairobi on Thursday, March 5, 2020.
Simon Kiragu
File
Kenyans.co.ke

Waititu failed to appear in court, with his lawyers once again claiming that he contracted Covid-19 and was admitted at a hospital. 

"My client has been unwell. He went for check up on October 24 and was referred to the High Dependency Unit for admission at a hospital.

"He was admitted and is not ready to proceed with the case," Waititu's lawyer argued.

The prosecution accused the former Jubilee politician of evading trial. 

Cancellation of his bond means that he may be arrested if he skips court again. 

The prosecution also asked that Waititu be made to undergo a mental assessment before the determination of his case. It also sought to have his lawyers compelled to provide his medical records.

Haji asked the court to appoint a team of three medics from the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPD), a move his defence team protested. 

The Building Bridges Initiative report (BBI)  has proposed stringent measures to curb graft and wants the government to expedite the prosecution of suspects. 

According to the report, Kenyans are vouching for stiffer sentences and punitive fines for individuals found to have engaged in corruption.  

Kenyans have recommended that the government protects whistleblowers and aggressively recover stolen public resources. 

Another measure was the restriction of public officers from conducting any business with the government and the creation of laws that compel the disclosure of the beneficial owners of corporate entities under investigations. 

Ferdinand Waititu and his wife Susan Wangari.
Ferdinand Waititu and his wife Susan Wangari walk to court in 2019.
File
  • . . . .