Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, who was arrested after Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) made dramatic raids at his Nairobi and Kiambu homes in the wee hours of Thursday, is being probed for, among others, irregularly awarding tenders worth Ksh 588 million to his firms and those of immediate family members.
According to EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak, preliminary investigations indicate contractors paid monies to senior county officials, their companies or relatives through proxies.
The anti-graft body is also probing fraudulent acquisition of public funds, conflict of interest and money laundering.
Investigators also conducted search operations at homes and offices of Waititu’s family members, directors of private companies and 10 other senior county employees.
“During the searches, valuable evidence relevant to the investigations were recovered. The suspected are currently being interviewed at EACC Headquarters, Integrity Centre to further investigations,” said Mbarak in a statement.
Waititu was taken to the EACC offices after more than six hours of interrogation and search at his Runda home.
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Various programmes initiated by Waititu, including Kaa Sober that is aimed at rehabilitating alcoholics have been questioned amid claims of underhand dealings.