Former Nyandarua Governor Daniel Waithaka
Former Nyandarua County Governor Daniel Waithaka Mwangi has been convicted of procurement irregularities.
The former county boss was convicted on Thursday by the Nyahururu Anti-Corruption Court for wilful failure to comply with the law relating to procurement.
Waithaka was convicted alongside former County Executive Committee Member for Water, Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Grace Wanjiru Gitonga.
The court found them guilty of two other charges engaging in a project without prior planning and wilful failure to comply with procurement laws.
According to the prosecution, on April 30, 2014, at the Nyandarua County Government offices, the Waithaka and Wanjiru, being public officers responsible for the management of public property, failed to comply with the Public Procurement and Disposal Act, 2006.
“They unlawfully procured the services of M/s TAHAL Consulting Engineers Limited without a procurement plan for the 2013/2014 financial year, contrary to Section 26(3)(a) of the Act. Waithaka was convicted separately for abuse of office,” ODPP stated.
The county paid Ksh 23,895,513 as an advance payment for consultations and a subsequent sum of Ksh26,575,000 for the same but no services were rendered.
The court ruled that Waithaka used his office to improperly confer a benefit to M/s TAHAL Consulting Engineers Limited by awarding a contract for the development of the County Water Master Plan and the design review of the Ol Kalou Town Sewerage System without following the required procurement process.
The case is set for mention on March 20, 2025, for mitigation and sentencing.
This comes days after former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu was sentenced to 12 years in prison or pay a fine of Ksh53.5 million after being found guilty of irregularly awarding tenders.
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