A Kenyan court on Thursday sentenced a former county governor, Ferdinand Waititu, to 12 years in prison alongside his wife and three others over corruption.
Waititu, ex-governor of the major county of Kiambu, is said to be one of the most high-profile officials to be convicted under the government's anti-corruption drive.
According to a statement by the state prosecution service, the court in Nairobi found him guilty of fraud and conflict of interest.
It was gathered that prosecutors had accused him of corruption in awarding of road-building contracts worth 588 million Kenyan shillings, $4.5 million.
Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzioki, in his ruling, ordered Waititu to pay a fine of 53 million Kenyan shillings, $400,000, or face a 12-year jail term, banning the defendants from holding public office for 10 years.
Waititu's wife was also sentenced to one year in prison or a fine of 500,000 Kenyan shillings, $3,869.
Waititu is said to be the second ex-governor to be jailed on corruption charges in Kenya, where such cases are often delayed for years, with some never going to jail.
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