Jailed former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has ditched his initial legal team and assembled a new, high-powered squad in a desperate attempt to secure his freedom. Waititu, serving a 12-year sentence over a staggering Ksh 588 million corruption scandal, has now hired seasoned lawyers Kibe Mungai and Ndegwa Njiru to spearhead a fresh application for bail pending appeal.
Waititu’s move comes barely two weeks after Lady Justice Lucy Njuguna crushed his first bid for freedom on March 3, ruling that he failed to provide sufficient legal grounds to justify his release. His previous team — Danstan Omari, Shadrack Wambui, and Samson Nyaberi — now find themselves cast aside as the former governor recalibrates his fight from behind bars.
The fresh application, filed Tuesday, paints Waititu as a victim of a flawed judicial process. Through his new lawyers, the ex-governor argues that his conviction was built on “defective charges” and “inconsistent financial records,” which he claims should not have formed the basis of the guilty verdict.
“The trial court treated the matter as a mere procurement dispute instead of a criminal trial, and the conviction did not meet the legal threshold of proof beyond reasonable doubt,” Mungai and Njiru argue.
The flamboyant former county boss is now pleading with the High Court to release him on bond, vowing he is not a flight risk and is ready to comply with any court conditions — including presenting a credible surety.
Justice Njuguna, who previously threw out his bail application, has directed the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to respond to the new application before a ruling is made.
The latest legal battle sets the stage for a high-stakes showdown as Waititu fights to reclaim his freedom — and possibly salvage his battered political career. Kenyans now watch keenly as the courts decide whether the once-powerful Kiambu governor will taste freedom again or remain behind bars.
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