A Nyandarua court has sentenced former Governor Daniel Waithaka Mwangi to two years in prison or a fine of Ksh1 million after finding him guilty of procurement irregularities.
Nyandarua Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Hezekiah Kago also handed Grace Wanjiru Gitonga, the former County Executive Committee Member for Water, Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, a two-year prison term or a fine of Ksh500,000.
If Waithaka does not pay the fine, he will serve the sentence concurrently. Gitonga faces the same terms, with her sentences running concurrently should she fail to pay.
The case revolved around their actions on April 30, 2014, when they served as public officers overseeing public resources. Prosecutors argued that the two violated the Public Procurement and Disposal Act of 2006 by unlawfully hiring M/s TAHAL Consulting Engineers Limited without an approved procurement plan for the 2013/2014 financial year—contravening Section 26(3)(a) of the law.
The court also found that on or about April 4, 2014, Waithaka abused his office to grant an improper benefit to M/s TAHAL Consulting Engineers Limited. He awarded the firm a contract to develop the County Water Master Plan and review the design of the Ol Kalou Town Sewerage System without following the required procurement procedures.
Waithaka is now the third former governor to be convicted on corruption charges in the last two years, joining former Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulaal and former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu.
