Arrest warrants issued for Uasin Gishu Governor Bii, 4 others linked to Sh1.1bn Finland scholarship scandal

A Nakuru court has issued arrest warrants for Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii, his former deputy John Barorot, and three others after they failed to appear in court to testify in the Sh1.1 billion Finland Education Programme scandal.

Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ndege ordered the arrests after the individuals missed their scheduled court appearances.

The other three individuals include Hillary Ruto, Stephen Lel, and Edwin Lel, who, along with the governor and his former deputy, had been bonded by the prosecution to testify but failed to show up.

Additionally, the court has summoned two key witnesses, including Mercy Tarus, a vocal critic of the mismanagement of the funds, and Dr Joel Koech, to testify on September 11, 2024.

The case centres around Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and two other officials accused of misappropriating Sh1 billion that was allocated for an overseas education scholarship programme intended to benefit underprivileged students.

Magistrate Ndege emphasised the importance of the witnesses' testimony in the case, noting that their absence was stalling the legal process.

Ex-deputy Barorot resigned last month amid claims of a frosty relationship with his Boss Governor Bii.

Conspiracy to defraud

According to the charge sheet, the accused are alleged to have conspired to embezzle Sh1.1 billion from KCB Bank in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu, between March 1, 2021, and September 12, 2022. The sum was meant for the county's education fund for students studying abroad under the program.

The funds were intended to be transferred from the account to the respective educational institutions.

Records show that various universities received different amounts: Tampere University got Sh113,750,634, JAMK University received Sh657,500, Northern Lights University was allocated Sh5,023,480, and Elimu University received Sh3,249,220.

Additionally, LUT University received Sh6,552,000, SCI Stenberg was allocated Sh7,570,500, Edu Excellence College got Sh145,816,300, and Eton College Vancouver received Sh2,196,000.

Between September 2021 and September 2022, approximately 202 students were sent to Finland. Out of these, 67 were admitted to Laurea University of Applied Sciences to study nursing, 25 were enrolled at Jyvaskylla University for the same program, and 111 joined Tampere University.

Each student contributed Sh1.19 million for school fees, Sh100,000 for air tickets, Sh80,000 for three months of accommodation, and Sh30,000 for an insurance policy before travelling.

However, reports suggest that some of the universities did not receive the full amount of the funds, putting the students at risk of deportation.

In the ongoing case, Senator Mandago and his co-accused have pleaded not guilty to 10 charges, which include conspiracy to commit theft, theft, abuse of office, and forgery related to the Finland education programme scandal.

Mandago is also accused of abusing his office by entering into agreements with universities in Finland and Canada between March 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, without obtaining the necessary approval from the county assembly.