Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu’s wife, Susan Wangari, described how they created their business empire and accumulated riches of more than Ksh1.9 billion.
Wangari explained in her petition, which was submitted to the court on Thursday, October 13, that they began as owners of modest businesses before expanding their financial portfolio.
According to reports, the pair began by purchasing a vehicle, which they used to transport building supplies across the nation. They owned 10 lorries by the year 1998.
Before Waititu entered active politics, they funded the establishment of new businesses with the money they made from their initial endeavor rather than preserving it.
Wangari continued to claim that the millions of dollars in savings in her many bank accounts were deposits from her business enterprises made over time.
As a result, she rejected the accusations made against them by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), which claimed that they had stolen money from the government.
“It was malicious and scandalous for the commission to link my husband and I to unexplained wealth for political reasons and to imply that we received money unprocedurally and unlawfully from public institutions totalling Ksh1,937,709,376,” she stated.
Claim that Wangari received Ksh246 million from Kiambu county while Waititu was the governor was refuted by Wangari. She also charged EACC with deceiving the public about how it acquired its fortune.
“The commission’s claims that I have Ksh276 million is a distortion of facts since they failed to take into consideration the debits and withdrawals from my accounts and by failing to state that the amount was not held in the account at any one given time,” her petition read in part.
The former Kiambu county first lady stated that she is prepared to submit records that show how wealthy they are while denouncing EACC for conducting a political witch hunt.
Her comments followed an application by EACC to the court for forfeiture of their assets, which included Ksh805 million in various accounts, as well as Ksh280 million worth of land and residences in Runda, Lucky Summer, Migaa Estate, Embakasi Ranching, Kayole, and Thindigwa.
Additionally, the EACC attempted to seize five vehicles worth Ksh14 million.
However, Waititu staged a legal battle while denying allegations of orchestrating public looting from Kiambu county government coffers during his reign.
“In 2011, we acquired 22 acres which we subdivided into 311 plots and sold. I had a lot of wealth even before I was elected Kabete MP, including petrol stations, hardware and beauty shops, landed properties and several fleets of transportation lorries,” Waititu explained his petition.
In contrast to rumors that the Ksh588 million graft case against Waititu had been withdrawn, the Office of the Director of the Public Prosecution (ODPP) declared on Thursday, October 6, that the case will move forward.
