Waititu firms received kickbacks for Sh588m road tenders, says EACC

Three companies owned by Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, his wife Susan Wangari and their daughter Monica Njeri allegedly received kickbacks worth millions of shillings for irregularly awarded road tenders worth Sh588 million.

The allegations are contained in an affidavit filed Thursday by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) before Kiambu Principal Magistrate Brian Khaemba, in response to the Sh500,000 anticipatory bail issued to Mr Waititu last week.

The damning affidavit of EACC detective Regina N’gan’ga shows that the money was received through Saika Two Estate Developers, a company the governor owns with his daughter, Bienvenue Delta Hotel belonging to him and his wife as well as Connex Logistics Africa owned by the wife.

The EACC investigations centred on the upgrade of eight gravel roads to bituminous using soil stabilisation technology.

The tender for the project was issued on February 12 and awarded to Testimony Enterprise, owned by Charles Chege and Beth Wangeci Mburu after quoting Sh588 million.

The EACC reckons that Testimony Enterprise main account at Equity Bank was opened on March 27, just 18 days after it was awarded the Kiambu contract, raising doubt about its existence before the tender notice.

The commission says the money trail ndicated that the firm wired millions of shillings to companies associated with Mr Waititu and his wife days after receiving cash from the Kiambu county government.

For instance, on July 2, 2018, the company received Sh16.8 million from the county and rerouted Sh2.2 million to Saika Two Estate Developers account.

Bienvenue Delta Hotel Ltd received Sh5.2 million from the company between October last year and January, paid in five instalments of between Sh643,000 and Sh2.2 million.

“Testimony Enterprise Limited has so far been paid irregularly substantial amounts of money without raising certificates required to quantify the work,” says the EACC.