Governor Wamatangi and the EACC's KSh813 million road-contracts case: what is alleged, and what happens next
The EACC wants to recover KSh813 million it links to national road contracts, from Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi and 13 others. The High Court has refused his bid to throw the case out. The allegations are unproven and denied. Here is what the case is about.
Kiambu Governor Paul Kimani Wamatangi, governor since 2022 and previously the county's senator, is facing a civil case by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to recover about KSh813.1 million. High Court Justice Rose Ougo has refused his application to strike the case out. The allegations have not been proven, and Wamatangi and the other defendants deny them.
What the EACC alleges
- The money came from road contracts awarded by KeNHA, KURA and KeRRA, the national roads agencies, between the 2018/19 and 2021/22 financial years.
- That Wamatangi, then chair of the Senate Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing, influenced tenders awarded to companies associated with him, and remained a signatory to their bank accounts.
- Claims of fraud, misrepresentation and falsified documents in the tenders.
- The suit names 13 other parties alongside him.
What Wamatangi argued, and what the court said
| His argument | The court's answer |
|---|---|
| A separate constitutional petition, with orders in his favour, covers the same matter | Not shown to involve the same parties or issues |
| Parliamentary privilege protects his work as a Senate committee chair | Privilege does not cover alleged unlawful acts |
| No case against him personally; the companies are separate legal entities | Too early to strike anyone out; the evidence must be tested at a full hearing |
Civil, not criminal
This is an asset-recovery case. If the EACC wins, the money or property is returned to the State; nobody is jailed because of it. Whether he can be criminally charged is a separate question: the EACC reads the orders in the constitutional petition as stopping only the Director of Public Prosecutions from charging him for now.
What happens next
- 12 November 2026: the court hears the EACC's application to keep bank accounts and other assets frozen. Interim freezes stay in place until then.
- The defence wants the case fast-tracked, saying the companies need the frozen money to operate.
- A full hearing, with evidence from both sides, comes later.
Related: How the EACC recovers unexplained wealth · The Waititu case.
