Baba Yao's quest for freedom, and why snake oil salesmen are hovering around

Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu at Milimani Law Courts, Nairobi, on March 26, 2025. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

It's strange so many Kenyans are surprised that former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu aka Baba Yao is still in jail. Strange because Baba Yao was convicted for corruption by a competent court of law and committed to 12 years in prison. He hasn't served even a month, so he's got a long way to go.

Waititu, too, is in a rush to get out, a fact that he shared is being exploited by snake oil salesmen who have been trooping to the prison and sell Freedom Charter: For a fee of Sh10m to Sh15m, they say, they can grease enough palms to prise open the prison doors and proclaim: Ferdie is Free!