Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, his wife Sarah Wangare and their co-accused will have to wait until Thursday, October 22, for further directions in the KSh588 million corruption case after a dispute emerged over their sentencing before an anti-corruption court.
The accused appeared before Anti-Corruption Magistrate Harrison Barasa on Monday for mitigation and sentencing following a High Court ruling that upheld their convictions and overturned their acquittal on money-laundering charges.
However, the proceedings hit a snag after the defence challenged the move to present the accused for sentencing, arguing that the trial court had acquitted them and that there was no conviction against the three individuals.
The prosecution, led by Monda, opposed the argument, maintaining that the High Court had allowed the State’s application in its entirety and directed the accused to appear before the magistrate’s court for mitigation.
Monda further argued that the accused were appearing in their corporate capacity and should be treated as such, warning that proceeding as proposed by the defence would amount to dealing with them as individuals rather than in their corporate capacity.
Following the arguments, the court scheduled October 22, 2026, at 9am to issue directions on how the matter should proceed.
The prosecution also asked the court to issue an order requiring Charles Ngugi to appear before it.
Meanwhile, the prosecution opposed a defence application seeking the release of Sarah Wangare pending the court’s directions.
Monda argued that Wangare was a convicted person and maintained that the money-laundering conviction, which carries a penalty of KSh25 million, was serious enough to warrant her continued detention pending mitigation.
The State consequently opposed her release on bail or bond before the court determines the next course of action.
The latest developments follow a High Court ruling delivered on Wednesday by Justice Rose Ougo, which upheld convictions against Waititu, his wife and their co-accused on other charges while overturning the trial court’s acquittal on money-laundering charges.
The matter is now scheduled to return to court on Thursday, October 22, when Magistrate Barasa is expected to give directions on the disputed sentencing proceedings.
