Mandago Released on Sh2 Milling Bond Over Finland Case

Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago has been granted a Sh2 million bond along with two others, Joshua Lelei and Meshack Rono.

The court has also ordered them to pay a surety of a similar amount or a cash bail of Sh500,000. However, plea-taking has been deferred due to the reported absence of a fourth suspect. The trio stands accused of conspiring to steal Sh1.1 billion from a Kenya Commercial Bank account in Eldoret that was registered under the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund, which was intended for overseas university fees for scholarship students. The Director of Public Prosecutions had on Wednesday ordered the arrest of Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and three others over the Airlift Program. 

The county officials responsible for the program were withdrawing funds and enjoying themselves in towns while parents and their children waited for Uasin Gishu's first airlift program to Finland and Canada. The officials did not have the best interests of those they were supposed to serve in mind, as they siphoned off the cash in bulk withdrawals of up to Sh2 million. Four individuals, including the Usain Gishu senator, were detained at the Nakuru Central Police Station on August 16, 2023. 

The alleged embezzlement took place between March 1, 2021, and September 12, 2021. One of the suspects, Joseph Kipkemboi Maritim, was reportedly out of the country at the time of the arrests. In a statement yesterday, President William Ruto said that individuals found culpable of embezzling funds must be held accountable for their actions. The Head of State has emphasized that those implicated in the controversy will face consequences.

“Anyone who stole the hard-earned money earmarked for the education of the residents’ children should be prepared to reimburse all of the stolen sums to the last coin,” stated Ruto.