Former Nyandarua County Governor Daniel Waithaka Mwangi has been sentenced to two years in prison or a fine of Sh1 million after being found guilty of procurement irregularities.
The ruling was delivered at the Nyahururu Anti-Corruption Court, where he was sentenced alongside former County Executive Committee Member Grace Wanjiru Gitonga.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions confirmed that Gitonga also received a two-year sentence or a Sh1 million fine for her involvement.
Waithaka was found guilty of willfully failing to comply with procurement laws, receiving a two-year sentence or a Sh500,000 fine.
Additionally, he was handed another two-year sentence or a Sh500,000 fine for abuse of office. Chief Magistrate Hezekiah Keago ruled that the sentences would run concurrently if the fines were not paid.
Gitonga, on the other hand, was convicted of engaging in a project without prior planning and willfully failing to comply with procurement laws, attracting similar penalties.
The court heard that in 2014, both Waithaka and Gitonga unlawfully awarded a contract to M/s TAHAL Consulting Engineers Limited without following due procurement procedures.
The contract involved the development of the County Water Master Plan and the Ol Kalou Town Sewerage System.
Waithaka becomes the third governor in recent years to be convicted on graft charges, following former Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal and ex-Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu.
