Former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu has been granted release from prison after the High Court allowed his application to post a Sh53 million bond as he appeals his conviction in a Sh588 million corruption case.

The decision by High Court Judge Lucy Njuguna comes after two earlier requests for bond were dismissed.

Waititu has been in prison since February, when he was handed a 12-year sentence or a Sh52.5 million fine for conflict of interest in a road construction tender during his tenure as governor.

In a renewed application, Waititu asked the court to revise his appeal to include new evidence and additional grounds in support of his case.

The judge allowed the amendment, giving him a new chance to argue for his release.

“Having considered the new grounds and the amended petition, the court is persuaded to grant the applicant bond pending appeal,” the court ruled.

Previously, the court had denied Waititu's request for bail but assured that the appeal would be fast-tracked. His legal team later returned to court with an updated petition that prompted the judge to reverse her earlier stance.

The former governor’s conviction had also come with a seven-year ban from contesting for any public office.

His wife, Susan Ndung'u, was sentenced to one year in prison or pay a fine of Sh500,000, while two directors of Testimony Enterprises Limited, the firm at the centre of the scandal, were also found guilty.

Charles Chege was sentenced to nine years or a Sh295 million fine, and Beth Wangeci was ordered to pay a fine of Sh1 million or serve one year in prison.

The charges stemmed from a procurement scandal involving road construction tenders in Kiambu during Waititu’s administration. Both he and his co-accused were convicted on corruption-related counts but were acquitted on three charges of money laundering.

The High Court is expected to set a hearing date for the full appeal.