Waititu, his wife and contractor plead their case over Sh588m graft charges
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu testifies during cross-examination at the Milimani Law Courts on August 27, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Mr Waititu was at pains to explain how he sold a parcel of land to the contractor before he officially acquired it.
- But the prosecution took issue with the power of attorney, saying Mr Waititu sold the land before he acquired it.
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, his wife Susan Wangari, and a contractor implicated in a Sh588 million corruption case on Tuesday presented their sworn evidences in court.
Mr Waititu, Ms Wangari and Mr Charles Chege, the proprietor of Testimony Enterprises Limited, testified before Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzioki at the Milimani Law Courts and were cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel, Ms Faith Mwila.
The former governor sought to exonerate himself from conflict of interest in the graft case.
Mr Waititu is facing charges of illegally receiving more than Sh25 million from Mr Chege and Testimony Enterprises Limited for the upgrade roads in Kiambu County during his tenure as the governor.
The prosecution said the Sh25,624,500 allegedly received by Mr Waititu was part of the Sh588 million paid to the contractor by the Kiambu County for the services alleged to have been delivered.
On Tuesday, when he took the witness stand, Mr Waititu was at pains to explain how he sold a parcel of land to the contractor before he had officially acquired it.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga contended that Mr Waititu sold the land in January 2018, but officially acquired it in April 2018.
Testimony Enterprises Limited was awarded the tender between July 2, 2018 and March 13, 2019.
Susan Wangari testifies during cross-examination at the Milimani Law Courts on August 27, 2024.
In his defence, Mr Waititu told the court that the monies he received Testimony Enterprises Limited were proceeds of the sale of a parcel of land to Mr Chege.
To support his claim, Mr Waititu produced a power of attorney dated April 2018, which indicated that the owner of the land had been permitted by her children to sell the land to Mr Waititu, who later sold it to Mr Chege.
But the prosecution took issue with the document, saying Mr Waititu sold the land before he acquired it.
The court also heard that records show that Mr Waititu sold the land to Mr Chege on January 3, 2018 meaning he sold it before acquiring it in April 2018.
Mr Nzioki directed the case be mentioned in a month's time to confirm whether parties have presented final submissions prior to judgement day.
The magistrate had earlier ruled that the accused who have denied over 10 graft charges had a case to answer.
The case will be mentioned for further directions on October 3, 2024.
