Mandago Presents Himself To DCI Headquarters

Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago revealed on Thursday, August 10 that he recorded a statement with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

In a short statement, the former governor revealed that he presented himself to the DCI headquarters in Kiambu Road following the Finland scholarship saga.

"I have today recorded my statement at the DCI headquarters (Kiambu Road) on the Finland and Canada overseas education program," he tweeted.

He however did not reveal the details of the statement he recorded at the investigative agency in relation to the county's controversial scholarship programmes for Australia, Finland and Canada.

The DCI had officially commenced investigations into the saga which cost parents and students millions of shillings in the controversial programme.

"All aggrieved victims are requested to present themselves at the DCI County Headquarters in Eldoret, on July 18 for statement recording and other investigative procedures to bring the suspects to book," DCI directed then.

Over 50 parents recorded their statements with the detectives in the exercise that was carried out last month.

Mandago's statement comes after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) revealed that it was finalising its investigations into the controversial Uasin Gishu overseas study programme.

However, EACC North Rift Regional Manager, Charles Rasugu argued that the probe which started in March has been complex.

“We are not late, we have actually muscled our efforts and put together a team that is working day and night. The investigations also involve student fees which were paid to Canadian and Finnish universities. It is not easy to investigate the flow of these monies within a short period,” he said on Wednesday, August 9.

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 there are 233 students studying in Finland while 45 are in Canada.

The commission also mentioned that the matter has elicited overwhelming public interest and has been prioritized with a view to finalizing the remaining aspects within a short time.

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

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.