Court Issues Warrant for Senator Jackson Mandago's Arrest Over Finland Fiasco

A Nakuru court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and three county officials linked to the Sh1.1 billion Finland and Canada education programme scandal. 

The prosecution had applied for arrest warrants as the four accused did not appear in court to face allegations of conspiring to steal more than Sh1.1 billion. The Senior Principal Magistrate in Nakuru, Alloys Ndege, has permitted the arrest warrants. The charges against them include theft, misuse of authority, and conspiring to commit criminal activity. 

The defendants have been charged with plotting to embezzle 1.1 billion Kenyan shillings from an Eldoret-based KCB account belonging to the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund, which was set up to finance students from the county for University studies in Canada and Finland. Between June 2021 and September 12, 2022, Maritim, Rono, and Lelei allegedly stole Sh56.5 million from the educational trust fund. Maritim is accused of stealing Sh660,000 and Rono of stealing Sh10.8 million. Along the same timeline, Lelei has been accused of stealing Sh2.7 million.

The former Uasin Gishu governor, Jackson Mandago, is facing accusations of abuse of office. He allegedly entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between universities in Finland and Canada on behalf of the County Government without approval from the County Assembly. Additionally, he is accused of misrepresenting the education program as a full county scholarship for overseas education. 

Mandago is also accused of arbitrarily seconding County staff to a private entity, Uasin Gishu Overseas Education Trust (UGOET), and drawing a salary from the County Government. Maritim, Rono, and Lelei are charged with forging documents related to UGOET with the intent to defraud the trust. Mandago has already been questioned by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in connection with the county's scholarship program.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations is currently investigating allegations of fraud related to the scholarship program initiated by the Uasin Gishu County Government. The controversy surrounding the scholarship program has resulted in a back-and-forth argument between Governor Jonathan Bii and Senator Mandago. Bii says that he had no participation in the corruption and is directing Mandango to carry the responsibility.

Mandago has placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of Bii, who is the present county leader. In response, parents and students affected by the scam have joined hands in peaceful protests, demanding reimbursement. The investigations were initiated following complaints from Uasin Gishu County residents who claimed to have lost millions of shillings in the fraudulent scholarship program that never materialized.