Ferdinand Ndung’u Waititu Babayao has been impeached as the Governor of Kiambu County.
Waititu was kicked out of office by the Senate on three charges; Gross Violation of the Constitution & Public Finance Management Act, Crimes Under the National Law and Gross Misconduct/Abuse of Office.
Senators voted to remove Waititu on all the three charges separately, with a majority of the lawmakers supporting each charge as a ground for his impeachment.
The first count was supported by 27 senators while the second and third received support from 28.
Only a simple majority of 24 Senators was required to vote in support of the motion for it to pass.
The embattled county boss is accused of contravening the public procurement and disposal act by allegedly influencing the award of lucrative tenders to companies associated with his immediate family and close relatives.
In the petition, the county boss is also accused of hiring over 600 casuals without the involvement of the County Public Service Board before later firing them. According to the MCAs this exposed the county to risk of multiple suits and loss of public funds.
He is alleged to have violated the Constitution by forcefully dispossessing and unlawfully occupying the property of Cecilia Njoki Mbugua, a widow in Thika town.
The petition claims Waititu used his office to coerce the widow to transfer her parcel of land to his second wife in exchange for some favours in the county, an allegation the Governor strongly denies.
“The lady that alleged that I participated in malpractice has not made any complaint in any police station. The lady was not called here to testify. In her affidavit that was read here, the lady did not mention me; it mentioned some county officials, not me…not Waititu. Again, the authors of that document – the ombudsman – were not called in this assembly to testify that it is true that that document is genuine from their office,” he said.
The impeachment proceedings against Governor Waititu were heard by the Senate plenary for two days where he pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
