Debate erupted online after it emerged that former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu, currently behind bars over corruption, has quietly regained control of properties and cash worth billions of shillings.
The bombshell revelation was published by the Saturday Nation, which reported that Waititu had won back assets valued at about Sh1.6 billion that were facing seizure by the state.
The same ruling, however, ordered the forfeiture of Sh131 million classified as unexplained wealth.
For many Kenyans, the headline alone was enough to raise eyebrows.
A convicted former governor. In jail. Yet back in control of massive wealth.
Then came senior counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi, firing off a blistering response on X that shifted the story from corruption to the courts themselves.
Ahmednasir accused the Daily Nation of deliberately hiding the identity of the judge who made the decision.
According to him, this was no accident.
He claimed it was part of a worrying pattern aimed at shielding judges from public scrutiny, especially in corruption cases involving powerful or controversial figures.
“With a view to diminish public scrutiny, accountability and debate on courts’ judgments, the Daily Nation seems to have adopted an opaque policy to edit out the names of the judges,” Ahmednasir wrote.
He went further, suggesting the newspaper may be acting under pressure from influential figures within the Judiciary.
In a sharp jab, he claimed some defenders of the practice often blame a so-called directive from the Kenya Court Reporters Committee.
“But this is obviously a very worrying trend forced on the newspaper by powerful judges,” he added.
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu. Photo: Courtesy
The claims have sparked heated debate online, with Kenyans questioning how a man convicted of corruption can recover such vast wealth, and why the public is not told which judge signed off on the decision.
Neither the Nation Media Group nor the Judiciary had responded to Ahmednasir’s allegations by the time of publication.
Waititu was jailed over corruption committed during his time as Kiambu governor, a tenure marked by scandals and public outrage.
His case has long been seen as a test of Kenya’s commitment to fighting graft and recovering stolen wealth.
Now, with billions back in his hands and judges’ names missing from headlines, the questions are louder than ever.