Editor's Review

  • The prosecution urged the court to bar media from covering her testimony as a witness.

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru is in court where she is set to testify in Ksh 791 million NYS criminal case.

The governor is a prosecution witness and she will be testifying against ex-Devolution PS Peter Mangiti and former NYS boss Nelson Githinji.

Before the governor could take to the stand the prosecution urged the court to bar media from covering her testimony as a witness.

According to the state, the move will help prevent the media from misreporting the happenings in court as Waiguru sheds light on the Sh791 NYS scam case.

However, the court ruled in favour of the media and public and allowed the members of the fourth estate to cover Waiguru's testimony.

Waiguru ended up not testifying on Wednesday as was expected.

The trial Magistrate Francis Andayi adjourned the case since two of the accused persons were not represented following the death of their lawyer.

Mangiti and Githinji were charged afresh in 2015 with threatening then NYS senior deputy director Adan Harakhe as he was investigating the theft of Sh695.4 million.

The Ksh791 million was stolen via fraudulent payments to six companies owned by three individuals.

One of the companies, Form Home Builders, was registered on June 10, 2015, just five days after Waiguru who was then Devolution CS wrote to the DCI to probe the firm.

The NYS scandal became highly politicised and different politicians called for the investigation of Waiguru since she was the Devolution CS. However, she maintained her innocence arguing that she was the whistleblower in the saga.