A Nakuru court has ordered the arrest of Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii and his former Deputy John Barorot.
According to the court, the duo has a case to answer for failing to appear in court. They were supposed to testify in a Ksh1 billion Finland education scholarship scandal.
Earlier, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) had recommended the prosecution of former Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago over the botched academic airlift program.
When he was roped in the scandal, the governor distanced himself from saying that his predecessor ought to come out and explain what happened.
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Jonathan Bii Distances Himself from Court Case
According to him, his administration was only handling the issue for the sake of parents and students who were victims of the scam and had already paid for their education abroad.
However, he insisted that he should not be involved in the case adding that those involved in swindling the scholarship funds should carry their cross.
The scholarship program turned scam was managed by an independent fund known as Uasin Gishu Overseas Education Trust.
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Details of the Scam
In March 2022, the then Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago signed an agreement with Northern Lights College in Canada for the scholarship program, after launching a similar program with Finnish universities and colleges that would later be hit by scandals.
In December 2022, Bii formed a task force chaired by John Barorot to look into the matter and make recommendations.
Consequently, the task force established that the Uasin Gishu overseas education trust was operating a KCB bank account which was used to receive funds for fees, accommodation, and flight charges for students enrolling in Finland and Canadian institutions.
Additionally, they determined that some of the students had no placement but had already paid one semester’s fees. Some of the students had to be deported back after failing to pay fees to the learning institutions.
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