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Mandago scholarship scandal: Court summons KCB official to testify
Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago at the Nakuru Law Courts on September 11, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Bank manager to shed light on account into which parents paid school fees for their children to study abroad.
- The magistrate issued the summons, after Mailo failed to appear in court, even after being lined up to testify in the case.
The High Court in Nakuru has summoned a Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) official, to testify in the Sh1.1billion Finland and Canada scholarship scandal in Uasin Gishu County.
Ms Dominika Mailo, a bank manager at KCB, is required in court, to shed light on the account into which parents from Uasin Gishu County paid school fees for their children to study abroad.
Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ndege has directed Ms Mailo, to appear in court on November 28, to testify in the fraud and forgery case facing Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago.
In the case, Mandago is charged alongside county officials Meshack Romo and Joshua Lei.
The orders were issued after the officer failed to appear before court at least two times, despite being duly informed by the prosecution.
Ms Mailo is expected to explain whether the account was opened by the county government or the public.
The prosecution, led by Mr Moses Macharia, earlier told the court that the bank official was unbale to appear in court over a medical issue.
The banker is supposed to testify against Mandago and the two county officials charged with misappropriation of the Sh1.1 billion, meant for county overseas education program. At least 135 witnesses out of the total 202 have already testified in the case.
According to the prosecution, the trust account where parents deposited the money was opened as a private entity and does not belong to the county government.
The latest witness to testify in the case was Zadock Koech Kipkosgei from Moiben constituency, who lost Sh650,000. His son was seeking to secure a scholarship to pursue a nursing course in Canada.
Lost millions of shillings
Mr Koech said they were convinced by the county administration that the programme was legitimate.
He said parents were asked to pay a registration fee of Sh10,000 and additional commitment fee to have their letters of admission and Visa documents processed.
“I paid Sh650,000 but we became suspicious when my son’s travel was delayed,” said Mr Koech.
He said they later discovered that the programme's operations office had been relocated the governor’s office to the Town Hall.
The parents got frustrated and started demanding their money before new Governor Jonathan Bii promised to investigate the matter.
Parents lost millions of shillings for tuition, visa and accommodation fees in the botched overseas education programme.
The scheme which began under the then Governor Jackson Mandago promised students scholarships to Finland and Canada, but the funds were reportedly diverted and the students were never made it abroad.
The hearing of the case will continue on November 28.
