NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — A Kenyan court on Thursday sentenced a former county governor to 12 years in prison for corruption, alongside his wife and three others.

Ferdinand Waititu, former governor of the major county of Kiambu, is one of the most high-profile officials to be convicted under the government’s anti-corruption drive.

The court in Nairobi found him guilty of fraud and conflict of interest, the state prosecution service said in a statement.

Prosecutors had accused him of corruption in the awarding of road-building contracts worth 588 million Kenyan shillings (US$4.5 million), according to media reports.

In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzioki ordered Waititu to pay a fine of 53 million Kenyan shillings (US$400,000) or face a 12-year jail term. He also banned the defendants from holding public office for 10 years.

The road tender was meant to pave gravel routes in Kiambu, where Waititu was impeached and removed from office in 2020.

Waititu’s wife was also sentenced to one year in prison or a fine of 500,000 Kenyan shillings (US$3,869).

Waititu is 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.