Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago appeared before Nakuru Chief Magistrate Court on Thursday concerning the Uasin Gishu scholarship scandal.
Senator Mandago was arraigned with two other defendants, Joshua Lelei and Mishack Rono, because the third defendant, Joseph Maritim, is now abroad.
The three are accused of conspiring to steal Ksh.1.1 billion from an Eldoret Kenya Commercial Bank account registered under the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund and intended for international university expenses for scholarship students.
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The Senator was quizzed after appearing before the DCI on Wednesday before being moved to the Central Police Station in Nakuru East on Wednesday evening, where he spent the night.
The Finland and Canada scholarship program controversy has generated resentment and protests in Uasin Gishu, with hundreds of graduates affected and their parents taking to the streets to seek reimbursements from the county government.
Mandago has already provided a statement to DCI officers to aid with the inquiry.
I have today recorded my statement at the @DCI_Kenya (Kiambu Road) on the Finland and Canada overseas education program.
— Senator Jackson Mandago, EGH (@GvnMandago) August 10, 2023
The Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund account is thought to have been established in May 2021, and by December 2022, parents had deposited Ksh.957,167,143 into it.
President Ruto, who was in uasin gishu county, promised parents that those who mishandled money meant for the scholarships will be held accountable.
"I will not allow anyone to steal from our children. The money will be returned to the parents," Ruto assured the parents, who were cheering him up.
