, NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 4 – A showdown is looming in Kiambu County after Governor Ferdinand Waititu started tours of development projects and vowed to hold a meeting with officials this week.
The move comes days after his deputy James Nyoro declared that he has taken charge of the county affairs following a court order barring Waititu from setting foot in office until a Sh588 million corruption case against him is heard and determined.
“I am the Governor and if it takes setting up office under a tree to serve the good people of Kiambu, I will do exactly that,” Waititu said when he toured development projects in four Sub-counties on Saturday.
He has reiterated that all County projects will be seen to completion and none will stall.
He inspected ongoing projects in Kiambu, Wangige, Kikuyu and Tigoni with visits to Kiambu hospital, Kikuyu market and Tigoni Level 4 hospital.
Waititu, his wife Susan, two suppliers and eight county staff are facing corruption charges over a Sh588 million tender irregularly issued and which the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji said earned the governor Sh22 million in kickbacks.
All denied the charges and were freed on bonds.
Waititu was freed after paying Sh15 million while his wife was released after depositing Sh4 million.
Waititu, who was given an alternative bond of Sh30 million bond, was remanded at Industrial Area Remand Prison while his wife was at Lang’ata Women’s prison.
On Wednesday, Waititu and his wife filed an application seeking a review of the bail terms granted to them, saying they were unreasonably too high.
Through their lawyer Tom Ojienda, Waititu, his wife and other co-accused persons said the bail and bond given were ‘excessive and amount to a constructive denial of bail.’
Ojienda said Waititu was particularly angered by the decision to lock him out office, in what he argued amount to “his effective removal from office in violation of the constitution.”
Also sought for interpretation was whether anti-corruption magistrate Lawrence Mugambi misdirected himself in locking Waititu out of office.
Waititu was charged with abuse of office and other corruption-related charges after the couple’s company Saika Two Estate Developers was accused of receiving Sh25 million in kickbacks from Testimony enterprises Limited Contractor—a firm contracted by the county to develop roads through an irregular tendering process.
The couple was charged alongside county officials who awarded the tender, a roads engineer and two directors of the firm that won the tender.
Waititu and the officials were ordered to stay out of office until their case is heard and determined.
Kiambu Deputy Governor Nyoro has since declared that he has taken charge of the county affairs.
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