No Mercy: Waititu’s Final Escape Attempts Collapse — 12-Year Jail Term Stands.

The High Court has delivered a decisive blow to former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu by refusing his latest request to reduce the Sh53.5 million bank guarantee required for his release. As a result, Waititu will continue serving his 12-year sentence at Kamiti Maximum Prison while his appeal on the Sh588 million corruption conviction proceeds.

Bail application turned denial

The court’s ruling stems from Waititu’s bid to alter the terms of his previous bail offer—one he himself had earlier made by proposing a full bank guarantee. The application sought to substitute the hefty guarantee with either title deeds, cash bail of KSh 20 million, or other securities. The court declared the actor had not provided sufficient grounds for such variation.

“The applicant (Waititu) himself made an offer for a bank guarantee… for him to do so, he must have known what it would entail,” the court noted.

The underlying scandal

In February 2025, Waititu was found guilty of corruption relating to a Sh588 million road-tender scandal awarded during his tenure as Kiambu Governor. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison or ordered to pay a fine of Sh53.5 million. The ruling also barred him from contesting any public office for seven years.
Previous attempts to have the sentence reviewed or to escape custody had also failed, with the court citing a lack of new evidence or changed circumstances.

Why this matters

• Symbolic crackdown on graft: Waititu’s case reinforces the government’s ongoing anti-corruption narrative and signals to other public officials that the courts are willing to enforce severe penalties.
• Legal precedent on bail for convicts: The court’s emphasis that a convict cannot casually vary the terms of bail he proposed sets a hard precedent on how bail conditions for corruption convicts may be managed.
• Political implications: The conviction and continued incarceration of a high-profile former county governor may reshape power dynamics in Kiambu County and send ripples through regional politics ahead of the 2027 elections.