Former Nairobi Governor Dr. Evans Kidero is now a free man after the High Court in Nairobi acquitted him in a Ksh213 million corruption case.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Victor Wakumile ruled that the prosecution failed to prove all 17 counts of corruption against Kidero and nine other former county officials beyond reasonable doubt. The judge noted that there was no sufficient evidence to show that payments were made to companies for goods and services that were never delivered.
The ruling ends a years-long legal battle that saw Kidero face charges of conspiracy to commit corruption, abuse of office, and fraudulent acquisition of public property during his tenure as the first governor of Nairobi County between 2013 and 2017.
However, the court found that the former Head of Accounting at Nairobi County still has a case to answer, saying the prosecution presented adequate evidence requiring his response.
Kidero and several senior county officials including the former County Secretary, Chief Finance Officer, and Finance and Planning Executive were accused of conspiring to defraud the county of Ksh213,327,300 between January 2014 and January 2016.
During the trial, Kidero challenged the authenticity of some of the bank statements presented by the prosecution, arguing that they should only have been submitted by bank officials to maintain the integrity of the evidence.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) had been cleared by the court to probe the bank statements, a move Kidero later contested in the Court of Appeal, claiming it violated his constitutional rights. The appellate court, however, upheld the earlier ruling, affirming the EACC’s investigative powers.
Following his acquittal, Dr. Kidero has expressed relief, maintaining that justice has finally prevailed after years of what he described as an unfair legal ordeal.
