Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu on Monday failed to appear in court in a case in which he has been accused of the irregular award of a Sh588 million tender for a road.

His absence meant the case facing him and 12 others could not proceed with his lawyer John Swaka telling the court Waititu had fallen ill and collapsed at his home on Sunday.

According to Swaka, the former Governor, who was impeached in January 2020 over graft allegations, was unable to present himself in court for trial after being admitted to hospital.

Trial Magistrate Alex Kombo ordered that the graft trial be mentioned on Tuesday as he asked for Waititu’s medical documents to be availed in court to confirm if he is indeed ill.

This comes as 18 prime properties and seven vehicles owned by Waititu were seized to await the conclusion of a graft case filed by the country’s anti-corruption commission EACC.

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The court also barred Waititu, his wife Susan Ndung’u and their various firms from selling, transferring or interfering with the said properties and vehicles during the trial period.

Waititu is accused of duplicitously obtaining assets totaling Sh1.94 billion while serving as Member of Parliament and later as governor of Kiambu County between 2015 and 2020.

He further stands accused of embezzling funds at Kiambu County through dubious tenders to firms that later moved funds to bank accounts and businesses linked to him and his wife.