Court Orders Arrest Of Governor Jonathan Bii & His Ex-Deputy John Barorot

The arrest order comes after the two failed to appear in court to testify in the Ksh1 billion Finland education scholarship scandal.

Court Orders Arrest Of Governor Jonathan Bii & His Ex-Deputy John Barorot
Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii during meeting with representatives from the German Development Corporation, SNV, and Slovakia Aid under the Team Europe Initiative on September 9, 2024. /JONATHAN BII

A Nakuru Court has ordered the arrest of Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii and his former Deputy Governor John Barorot.

The arrest order comes after the two failed to appear in court to testify in the Ksh1 billion Finland education scholarship scandal.

Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ndege ordered the arrest of five people including the two who had been bonded by the prosecution to appear in court but failed. The three others include Hillary Ruto, Stephen Lel and Edwin Lel.

The court further issued summons for two witnesses including Mercy Tarus and Dr Joel Koech. Tarus, who is the popular witness in the case, has been asked to appear before the court on September 11, 2024.

Immediate former Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor John Barorot. /UASIN GISHU COUNTY GOVERNMENT

The witnesses were to testify against Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and two others charged with misappropriating Ksh1.1 billion meant for overseas education scholarships for needy children.

The scandal came to light in early 2023 when parents of students who had been awarded scholarships to study in Finland complained that their children risked being deported after accruing tuition fees. Some students were forced to return to Kenya after the situation worsened.

Parents accused the county government of shortchanging and duping them into paying large sums of money to unscrupulous agents. 

The saga drew a nationwide uproar but it was through viral graduate Tarus' hard-hitting speech to the senator as well as the Uasin Gishu County leadership that included Governor Bii that threatened to turn the saga into an international headline.

In August 2023, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) revealed that it was finalising its investigations into the controversial Uasin Gishu overseas study programme.

Of EACC's key focus was the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund Account which was opened in May 2021 and by December 2022 a total of Ksh957,167,143 had been credited to the account by parents of the students.

The anti-corruption body went on to state that 233 students were studying in Finland while 45 were in Canada.

The commission also mentioned that the matter elicited overwhelming public interest and had been prioritized to finalize the remaining aspects within a short time.

Mandago, in response to having his name dragged through the mud in the scandal, recorded a statement with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), revealing that he had presented himself to the DCI headquarters in Kiambu Road following the Finland scholarship saga.

Mercy Tarus speaking during a baraza convened by Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii. /TWITTER.ALINUR MOHAMED