Ferdinand waititu fails to secure his release a third time

Ferdinand Waititu’s hopes of walking free have hit a wall after the Court of Appeal stood firm on his Ksh53 million bond terms.

The former Kiambu Governor had pleaded with the court to ease the burden by allowing him to make a cash deposit instead, but Justice Lucy Njuguna shut down the request. With the ruling, Waititu stays locked in unless he raises the full bank guarantee a figure that continues to keep him behind bars.

Justice Lucy Njuguna on Tuesday declined Waititu’s request to substitute a Sh53 million bank guarantee with a cash deposit, noting that the orders previously issued would remain in force.

Waititu, who has been unable to raise the Sh53 million bank guarantee, will therefore remain in custody pending the hearing and determination of his appeal.

The former governor, popularly known as Baba Yao, was charged in 2019 alongside his wife, Susan Wangari and several county officials over the alleged irregular award of road construction tenders worth Sh588 million during his tenure as Kiambu governor.