Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu is facing fresh legal troubles after Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga petitioned the High Court to reinstate money laundering charges against him. The DPP is also pushing for harsher penalties related to the Ksh588 million road tender scandal.
Waititu, his wife Susan Wangari, their companies, and Testimony Enterprise directors Charles Chege Mbuthia and Beth Wangeci were previously acquitted by a trial court of allegations that they laundered Ksh25.6 million in kickbacks linked to the controversial tender awarded by the Kiambu County Government.
Trial Magistrate Thomas Nzyoki dismissed the charges, calling them oppressive and unjustified.
However, the DPP has now challenged that ruling, arguing that the acquittal was flawed. He is urging the High Court to overturn the decision and convict Waititu, his wife, and their associates for financial crimes.
Allegations of Money Laundering
Ingonga contends that Waititu and his wife were involved in a complex money laundering scheme designed to conceal the illegal origins of funds received from Testimony Enterprises Limited.
According to court documents, Waititu transferred Ksh12.4 million and Ksh6 million into his company, Saika Two Estate Developers Limited. The prosecution wants these transactions classified as money laundering.
Additionally, the DPP alleges that Waititu and Wangari funneled over Ksh7.4 million through Bienvenue Delta Hotel, a company they co-own, to mask the source of the funds.
The prosecution further claims that some of the laundered money was used to acquire high-value assets, including the Lake Naivasha Resort, which Waititu allegedly purchased for over Ksh300 million within his first 100 days in office as governor. Ingonga insists that these transactions were deliberate attempts to clean illicit funds and hide their true origins.
Legal Battle Intensifies
The DPP is now seeking to overturn the acquittal and impose tougher penalties on Waititu and his wife.
“The learned trial magistrate erred in law and in fact by misapplying the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act,” Ingonga states in his appeal.
This legal battle comes just days after Waititu filed his own appeal, citing 57 grounds to challenge his conviction and sentencing on four charges of conflict of interest and dealing with suspect property.
