Evans Kidero can now breathe a sigh of relief after years of battling corruption allegations tied to his time as Nairobi’s first governor. The High Court has cleared him of all charges in the Ksh213 million corruption case, putting an end to a long legal process that has followed him since leaving office in 2017.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Victor Wakumile, who stated that the prosecution had not proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court found that the evidence presented was too weak to link Kidero to any of the alleged crimes.
Justice Wakumile said that prosecutors failed to prove that payments made to two companies were fraudulent or that the services claimed were never delivered.
He added that the 17 charges of corruption and economic crimes lacked solid backing, leading to the full acquittal of Kidero and nine of his former colleagues who served in senior county positions during his term.
The ruling means that, after years of accusations and intense scrutiny, Kidero’s name has been cleared in one of the biggest corruption cases linked to Nairobi County.
However, not everyone accused was freed. The judge ruled that the former Head of Accounting at Nairobi County still has a case to answer, saying that there was enough evidence against him to proceed with a separate hearing.
This decision suggests that the court believes some irregularities may have taken place, but the involvement of Kidero himself could not be proven under the law.
Kidero had faced multiple allegations, including abuse of office, conspiracy to commit corruption, and fraudulent acquisition of public funds.
The prosecution claimed that he and other top officials conspired to steal over Ksh213 million from county accounts between 2014 and 2016.
During the trial, his lawyers strongly challenged the validity of certain documents produced by the prosecution, particularly bank statements, saying only certified bank officials could provide them.
They argued that the evidence chain had been broken, weakening the entire case.In 2024, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission was given permission to investigate the bank records involved in the matter.
Kidero, however, appealed against this move, saying it violated his rights. The Court of Appeal dismissed his challenge, confirming that the EACC had the mandate to carry out such investigations.
Despite this setback, today’s ruling has effectively ended Kidero’s long legal battle.For nearly a decade, Kidero has had to defend himself against multiple cases linked to his leadership at City Hall.
The High Court’s decision now clears him of wrongdoing in this major corruption file, marking a significant personal and political victory.
