A Nakuru magistrate’s court has deferred plea taking for Uasin Gishu senator Jackson Mandago and two co-accused persons in the controversial Finland, Canada scholarships saga.
Senior Principal Magistrate Alloys Ndege ruled that the court cannot commence trial in the absence of one accused person, Joseph Maritim, as all four suspects—Senator Jackson Mandago, Joshua Lelei, Meshack Rono and Mr Maritim—have been charged jointly and they must all be present in court.
The court also released Mr Mandago, Mr Lelei and Mr Rono on a bond of Sh2 million each with a surety of a similar amount, or an alternative cash bail of Sh500,000 each.
The magistrate further lifted a warrant of arrest against the three. However, the warrant for the arrest of Mr Maritim, who was not in court, remains in force.
Prosecutor Hassan Abdi said they are aggrieved by the ruling and will contest it at the High Court. The prosecution had sought a stay on the ruling, which the court did not grant.
Senator Mandago is charged jointly with three others over the Uasin Gishu scholarships programme that did not take off, in which parents are demanding a refund of Sh1.1 billion they paid the county to secure a chance for their children to study abroad.
However, another co-accused—Mr Maritim—was not in court. His lawyer Zephania Yego told the court that his client travelled to Canada on August 13 and at the time he was not aware of the case against him. He later learnt about the arrest warrant on social media.
Mr Yego added that his client is willing to travel back to Kenya to face the charges and requested that the court defer Mr Maritim’s plea taking to a later date. He also wanted the warrant of arrest lifted, but the court denied the request.
Senator Mandago, who was supposed to be the host of the Devolution Conference taking place in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County from Wednesday to Friday, has missed two days of the event.
Uasin Gishu is hosting the 10th Devolution Conference at the Eldoret Sports Grounds themed “10 Years of Devolution; The Present and the Future.”
Speaking in Eldoret town, President Ruto said that individuals found culpable of embezzling funds from parents and students must take responsibility for their actions.
The ongoing saga has been linked to Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, a close ally of President Ruto and three other individuals.
Nonetheless, the Head of State made it clear that everyone involved in the scandal will be held accountable.
“Kama kuna mtu alikula iyo pesa ajipange kulipa mapema ama ataingia taabani (Anyone who stole the money earmarked for the education of the residents’ children should be prepared to reimburse all of the stolen sums or they will be in trouble),” stated Ruto.
President Ruto promised to step in to offer financial support to the affected students, upon the completion of the ongoing investigations into the saga that has put Senator Mandago and Governor John Bii on the receiving end of parents and students’ frustrations.
President Ruto emphasised that his commitment to providing financial assistance will not shield those responsible for the scholarship scam. “I will not allow them (suspects) to get away with this crime. The actions are very embarrassing,” he added.
Parents and students have been staging several protests demanding accountability and a refund of their money. On August 8, they confronted top county leadership seeking to know where their money is and demanding a refund and justice.
On Wednesday morning, a Nakuru Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Senator Mandago and the three former Uasin Gishu County officials after they failed to turn up in court over the controversial education programme.
The four were expected to appear in court to plead to various charges, relating to the misappropriation of funds intended to provide scholarships to over 200 students living in the county.
The prosecution had prepared a charge sheet with 11 counts relating to conspiracy to steal over Sh1.1 billion meant for students under the programme.
The Directorate of Public Prosecution led by State Counsel Angeline Chinga claimed that the four had switched off their mobile phones, while one of the suspects, Mr Maritim, had fled the country.
Hours after the warrants of arrest were issued, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, through its social media accounts, announced that it had approved charges against the four suspects.
“The ODPP has established criminal culpability on the part of the three officials Joseph Kipkemboi, Meshack Rono, Joshua Lelei and Senator Mandago. The available evidence is sufficient to prefer charges, with a realistic prospect of a conviction,” it said.
Following the issuing of the warrants of arrest, Senator Mandago and two others surrendered to the police.
The four jointly face charges of conspiring to steal Sh1.1 million from a KCB account registered under the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund, meant for overseas university fees for students under the Uasin Gishu County Overseas Education programme. They are accused of committing this crime between March 1, 2021 and September 12, 2021.
Mr Maritim is separately facing charges of stealing Sh660,000 from the account and forging minutes of the trust with intent to defraud the trust.
Mr Mandago is also facing abuse of office charges, whereby he is alleged to have, while being the governor of the county, arbitrarily misrepresented that Uasin Gishu County Government was offering full scholarship to students to study in Finland and Canada.
