Waititu sentenced to 13 years or KSh21 million: the KSh588.7 million road tender case, explained
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has been sentenced on three money-laundering counts linked to a KSh588.7 million roads contract. The new terms run alongside the 12-year sentence he is already serving. Here is the case, the sentences, and what happens next.
On Monday 2 November 2026, Milimani Anti-Corruption Chief Magistrate Harrison Barasa sentenced former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu to 13 years in prison, or fines totalling KSh21 million, on three money-laundering counts. The case is about a KSh588.7 million roads contract awarded by Kiambu County while he was governor.
The case in one paragraph
In the 2017/18 financial year, Kiambu County awarded a roads contract worth KSh588.7 million to Testimony Enterprises Ltd. Prosecutors said money then flowed from that company to firms linked to Waititu and his wife, in ways meant to hide where it came from. That is money laundering: disguising the source of money obtained through crime so it looks legitimate. Waititu was found to have received about KSh25 million from the company.
How we got here
Kiambu County awards the KSh588.7 million roads tender to Testimony Enterprises.
The Senate removes Waititu from office after the County Assembly impeaches him.
The anti-corruption court convicts him over the tender and sentences him to 12 years in prison, or a fine. He is acquitted on the money-laundering charges.
The High Court eases his bail terms to KSh20 million pending appeal, and he is released.
High Court Justice Rose Ougo upholds his convictions, overturns the money-laundering acquittals on the State's appeal, and revokes his bail. He returns to prison.
He is sentenced on the three money-laundering counts.
The new sentences
| Accused | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Ferdinand Waititu | Count 10: KSh10m or 5 years · Count 11: KSh6m or 4 years · Count 12: KSh5m or 4 years. Total: KSh21m or 13 years |
| Susan Wangari Ndung'u (his wife) | Fines totalling about KSh22m, with a two-year default term on one count |
| Charles Chege Mbuthia (businessman, director of Testimony Enterprises) | Fines totalling KSh21m, or 13 years in default |
| Testimony Enterprises Ltd | Fined KSh36m |
| Saika Two Estate Developers Ltd | Fined KSh24m |
Reports differ slightly on some co-accused fines; the figures above are from reporting on the day. Companies cannot be jailed, so they were fined only, and have 14 days to pay.
Why he will not serve 25 years
Adding 12 and 13 gives 25, but that is not how this works. The High Court directed that the money-laundering sentences run concurrently, meaning at the same time as, his existing sentences under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act. So the new terms do not add to the time he is already serving. "Or" means he can pay the fine instead of serving that term; if he does not pay, the prison term applies.
Why this case matters
- It is about your county's money. County roads, clinics and water projects are paid for with public funds. Inflated or rigged tenders mean less is built.
- Money laundering is a separate crime. The prosecution argued, and the court accepted, that hiding the proceeds harms the financial system on its own, not just the original fraud.
- Former governors are not out of reach. Waititu is one of the few former governors convicted and jailed for graft.
What happens next
- The accused can still appeal, including to the Court of Appeal.
- Watch whether fines are paid. Separately, the EACC is pursuing a civil case to recover KSh170 million from Waititu and a linked company; about KSh131 million in assets linked to him and associates was forfeited in December 2025. See how the EACC recovers wealth.
Related: the EACC case against Governor Wamatangi, Kenya's KSh13 trillion debt and Election 2027 key dates.
Sources
- Waititu slapped with additional Sh21m fine over Sh588.7m money laundering case, The Standard (2 Nov 2026)
- Ferdinand Waititu sentenced to 13 years in prison or pay Ksh21M fine in Ksh588M graft case, Kenyans.co.ke (2 Nov 2026)
- High Court ruling saves Waititu from serving 25 years in prison, Mwakilishi (2 Nov 2026)
- Waititu returns to prison after court upheld conviction in Ksh.588m graft case, Citizen Digital (15 Oct 2026)
- EACC to recover Ksh170 million from Waititu after High Court ruling, Kenyans.co.ke (15 Oct 2026)
