Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu was on Monday sentenced on three money laundering counts linked to the Sh588.7 million Kiambu road tender, closing a chapter that reopened when the High Court reversed his earlier acquittal on those charges last month.

Chief Magistrate Harrison Barasa of the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court fined Waititu on each of the three counts, with jail terms to be served if he fails to pay. His wife, Susan Wangari Ndung'u, and other people and firms linked to the case were also sentenced, according to reports from the courtroom.

The sentences

According to The Star, which was in court, the penalties handed to the former governor were:

  • Count 10: a fine of Sh10 million, or five years in prison in default.
  • Count 11: a fine of Sh6 million, or four years in prison in default.
  • Count 12: a fine of Sh5 million, or four years in prison in default.

That brings the fines on the three counts to Sh21 million. Companies convicted in the matter were fined and told to pay within 14 days, and all parties have 14 days to appeal. The detailed penalties given to Wangari and the other co-accused had not been fully reported by Monday afternoon.

When the High Court convicted the couple on the money laundering counts, it directed that the new sentences run concurrently with the penalties already imposed under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act.

How the case got here

Waititu was first convicted in February 2025 over the irregular award of the road tender in the 2017/2018 financial year and handed a 12-year jail term with the option of a fine. The trial court, however, acquitted him and his wife of money laundering.

On October 14, 2026, High Court judge Rose Ougo upheld the corruption conviction and sentence, overturned the money laundering acquittals and sent the file back to the Chief Magistrate's court for sentencing, since the High Court was not handling those counts as a trial court. Waititu has been in custody since then, and Wangari has been held at Lang'ata Women's Prison after her bail request was turned down.

Sentencing was delayed several times as the prosecution and defence argued over how the accused should be sentenced. It was finally set for Monday after mitigation on October 27.

Pleas for mercy

During mitigation, Waititu apologised to the court and asked for leniency, telling the magistrate that he and his wife were first-time offenders who had already endured years of prosecution. KBC reported that the prosecution had pressed for six years in prison on each count.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, which investigated the tender, welcomed the High Court's October ruling and has separately been pursuing the recovery of assets linked to the deal.

Monday's fines do not end Waititu's legal troubles: the 12-year sentence upheld by the High Court in October still stands, and he has already moved to challenge that judgment at the Court of Appeal.

Photos: KBC; The Standard (Nancy Gitonga). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.