NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has received a partial reprieve after a court ruled that he must forfeit Sh131 million of his assets to the State, significantly less than the Sh1.9 billion initially targeted for seizure over alleged fraudulent acquisitions.
The ruling, delivered on Friday, December 19, also applies to Waititu’s wife, Susan Ndung’u.
Among the assets ordered for forfeiture are two plots of land valued at Sh32 million, a Caterpillar construction tractor worth Sh11 million, and two cars valued at Sh600,000 each.
The court found that Waititu and his wife failed to provide sufficient evidence proving that the assets were acquired legally. However, Justice Nixon Sifuna ruled that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) had not presented allegations with enough clarity or supporting evidence to justify full confiscation of all the properties.
The civil case dates back to 2022, when EACC filed a suit in the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Division, claiming that Waititu held over Sh1 billion in unexplained assets accumulated during his tenure as Member of Parliament for Kabete Constituency (2015–2017) and later as Governor of Kiambu County (2017–2020).
EACC alleged that the former governor and his wife acquired some of the properties using proceeds from questionable procurement contracts linked to companies connected to them.
Justice Sifuna’s ruling partially allowed EACC’s suit, ordering only a fraction of the assets to be surrendered. The decision cited gaps in EACC’s evidence and the lack of clarity in the presentation of allegations as reasons for not approving full asset forfeiture.
This ruling follows Waititu’s earlier legal troubles. In February 2025, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison or a Sh52.5 million fine after being found guilty of conflict of interest in a Sh588 million graft case.
The partial forfeiture comes as a significant relief for Waititu and his wife, who were initially poised to lose properties worth nearly Sh2 billion, demonstrating the court’s cautious approach in handling asset recovery cases amid incomplete evidence.
