The lawsuit against former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu and 12 others for an improper award of a Ksh.588 million road tender did not begin on Monday because he did not appear in court.

According to his lawyer John Swaka, the former county executive became unwell and collapsed at his house on Sunday. Waititu could not attend the trial because he was admitted to a municipal hospital.

PHOTO | COURTESY Waititu

The judge ordered that the case be heard on Tuesday. It also sought to see Waititu's medical records to validate his condition.

Waititu was impeached as Governor of Kiambu County in January 2020.

Previously, the High Court had frozen 18 prime properties and seven motor vehicles belonging to Waititu pending the hearing and determination of a case filed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Waititu, his wife, Susan Ndung'u, and their firms were barred from selling, transferring, or otherwise tampering with the properties and cars until the matter was resolved, according to orders issued in June by Anti-Corruption Court judge Esther Maina.

Waititu is accused of fraudulently collecting assets worth Ksh.1.94 billion as governor and former legislator between 2015 and 2020.

PHOTO | COURTESY Waititu 


He is also accused of misappropriating public funds by issuing fake procurement tenders to organizations contracted to provide services to the Kiambu County Government.

EACC asserts that whenever Kiambu County paid for the fraudulent contracts, the contracting firms would send the funds to several bank accounts and corporations registered in Waititu's and his wife