Former Nyandarua Governor Daniel Waithaka Convicted Over Ksh50 Million Procurement Scandal

Nyandarua County
An undated image of Nyandarua County Government headquarters and an insert of a person in police cuffs.
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Nyandarua County Government

Former Nyandarua County Governor Daniel Waithaka Mwangi has been convicted of procurement irregularities.

Waithaka was convicted on Thursday by the Nyahururu Anti-Corruption Court for wilful failure to comply with the law relating to procurement.

He was convicted alongside former County Executive Committee Member for Water, Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Grace Wanjiru Gitonga.

The court found them guilty of two other charges engaging in a project without prior planning and wilful failure to comply with procurement laws.

Daniel Waithaka Nyandarua
Former Nyandarua Governor Daniel Waithaka at a past event.
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Nyandarua County Assembly

According to court documents, the two unlawfully procured the services of a consulting engineering company without a procurement plan for the 2013/2014 financial year.

"The court heard that on April 30, 2014, at the Nyandarua County Government offices, the two, being public officers responsible for the management of public property, failed to comply with the Public Procurement and Disposal Act, 2006," court documents read in part.

"They unlawfully procured the services of a consulting company without a procurement plan for the 2013/2014 financial year, contrary to Section 26(3)(a) of the Act."

Furthermore, the governor was convicted of office misuse after the court found that in April 2014, he used his office to improperly confer a benefit to the consulting company.

This followed his decision to award the company a contract for the development of the County Water Master Plan and the design review of the Ol Kalou Town Sewerage System without following the required procurement process.

Following the charges, the former county boss will learn his fate on Monday, March 20, when the case will be mentioned for mitigation and sentencing.

Last month, former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu was sentenced to 12 years in prison or pay a fine of Ksh53.5 million after being found guilty of irregularly awarding tenders. 

Additionally, Waititu was sentenced to serve five years in jail or pay a fine of Ksh2.5 million and a mandatory fine of Ksh51 million. 

Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and his wife Susan Wangari at Milimani Law Courts.
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and his wife Susan Wangari at Milimani Law Courts.
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ODPP