Day of Reckoning: Court to Rule on EACC's Bid to Reclaim KSh 147 Million in Waititu Graft Case

Anti-Corruption Court to Rule on KSh 147.3M Recovery in Waititu Graft Case

Nairobi, Kenya – The curtain is set to fall on one of Kenya’s most high-profile corruption sagas as the Anti-Corruption Court prepares to deliver a key ruling this Wednesday on whether the government can recover KSh 147.3 million from the convicted parties in the KSh 588 million Kiambu roads scandal.

The recovery application, filed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), targets former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, his wife, and several close associates, all found guilty of orchestrating a wide-ranging graft scheme tied to fraudulent road construction tenders issued in 2017.

In a landmark judgment earlier this year, Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzioki convicted Waititu on charges of conflict of interest, ruling that the former governor had illegally pocketed KSh 25.6 million through entities linked to his family. The court also confirmed that his wife and other accomplices received millions in public funds via illicit kickbacks and shell company transactions.

The upcoming decision on asset recovery is being closely watched by anti-corruption advocates, legal scholars, and citizens alike, as a litmus test for Kenya’s commitment to clawing back stolen public wealth. While convictions in corruption cases have slowly increased, successful recoveries of looted assets remain rare — a fact that has often led to public frustration over perceived leniency toward economic crimes.

The EACC argues that allowing the convicted parties to retain the proceeds of the scam would be a grave injustice and would undermine public trust in the rule of law.

If the ruling favors recovery, it could set a powerful precedent for future cases and send a clear message that convictions alone are not enough — restitution must follow.