Former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu’s problems are far from over, as he battles to keep his luxury vehicles.
Waititu, also known as Baba Yao, is in court seeking a restraining order to prevent an asset finance firm from selling his two vehicles in connection with a Sh10 million loan.
The former governor, who was removed from office in January 2020 after the Senate upheld the Kiambu court assembly’s decision to impeach him, wants Mwananchi Credit Limited (MCL) to extend the loan repayment period.
Waititu received the loan two days before he was fired, according to documents filed in Kiambu Law Courts.
Now, the former county chief claims that if the firm sells his vehicles at Startruck Yard on Kiambu Road, he will suffer irreparable loss.
He has also told the court that he is unable to service the loan because he does not have a steady source of income and that the little money he does have is being used to pay his legal fees.
“That due to current financial constraints, I am unable to clear the aforementioned loan within the aforesaid period, but I hasten to add that with great difficulty, coupled with the fact that I am facing numerous cases before an anti-corruption court, which has incurred me a great deal of costs and expenses by hiring advocates. Waititu claims in an affidavit that he tried to clear at least Sh1,280,000.
He is also requesting more time to repay the loan, the actual balance of which he claims is in dispute.
“That I am not disputing owing the first defendant/respondent company claim, there is a dispute over the actual balance owing to the first defendant, but I pray for a reasonable time within which to sell some of my properties and clear all the outstanding loan balance upon calculation of the same, and/or be allowed to settle the same by substantial instalments,” he adds.
MCL filed a lawsuit earlier this year after unsuccessful efforts to recoup the funds.
MCL CEO Dennis Mombo wrote to Waititu in 2019 and requested that the outstanding amount of Sh10,188,422 be cleared.
“I am writing to request that you settle the stated amount by the end of August, in reference to our meeting today. Failure to do so will result in a 5% flat penalty until the account is settled,” Mr Mombo wrote.
