Governor Bii Challenges Mandago on Missing Sh33m in Finland Study Scam: Carry Your Cross!
Governor Jonathan Bii has confronted his predecessor Jackson Mandago, who is now a senator for Uasin Gishu, regarding the controversial student transport program.
Mr. Bii challenged Mr. Mandago on Tuesday to come out and explain the situation to the parents and students who are now demanding a refund of the tuition expenses they paid through the county government to attend universities in Finland and Canada.
This is because some students who registered for the program paid money into a county government-provided collection account, but never departed the country because they were denied admission. The payments were made between 2021 and 2022.
“We are unable to refund the money requested by parents for study programs in Canada and Finland because the trust account has only Sh1.8 million.” “A staggering Sh33 million cannot be accounted for,” the governor of Uasin Gishu stated at a press conference on Tuesday, following yesterday’s protests by outraged parents.
Some students either did not travel to study abroad or were detained abroad due to fee arrears as a result of the county government’s failure to remit fees to foreign universities.
Vehement Demonstrations
Monday, enraged parents held Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor John Barorot captive at the sub-county governor’s office in Kapseret after storming the county offices to demand a refund of their money for failed study programs.
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The furious parents paralyzed office operations by carrying signs that read “Refund our money” and chanting “No refund, no devolution conference.”
Tuesday, Governor Bii absolved himself of responsibility for the debacle, stating that his predecessor was responsible.
“Mr. Mandago, who is a native of the land, should bear his burden and speak openly about this airlift program. Everyone knows that he and his administration were the architects of the program, so it is unfair that I am being crucified for his transgressions, Governor Bii stated.
“He must be held accountable. “Parents who are on my neck because I have nothing to tell them have rendered me restless,” he said.
The protesting parents issued a five-day ultimatum to the county government on Monday, threatening to disrupt the August 15-19 devolution conference if they were not refunded their money.
After a contingent of anti-riot police and county askaris arrived to evict the demonstrators, a standoff ensued after they locked the main gate of the sub-county governor’s office.
They observed from outside the gate as the parents demanded an audience with Mr. Barorot and other county officials, who were locked up inside the governor’s office.
As the disorder persisted and the protesters held their ground, the deputy governor was spotted slipping through the back door with the assistance of his handlers, who had cut a hole in the chain-link fence.
His official vehicle was then left outside the offices as he was driven away in a county vehicle.
Mouse and Cat Games
The parents, upon learning that the deputy governor had snuck out of the building, accused the county government of playing games with them after receiving millions of dollars from them.
“Whenever we attempt to meet with Governor Jonathan Bii in Eldoret, he is always snuck out the back door of his office.
Ms. Ester Kemboi, who paid Sh900,000 for her child, lamented, “We are perplexed as to why the two officials always run away from us rather than sit down and explain what went wrong.”
“Governor Bii ought to have informed us that there is no money rather than leading us in circles. If the money was siphoned off by the previous administration led by Jackson Mandago, the then-governor, and architect of the airlift program, he should have the courage to tell us how to proceed as opposed to attempting to aggravate us further. Eldoret Municipal Chairman Julius Kitur was booed and pursued away by parents when he attempted to calm the parents down, as she stated.
“The devolution conference is unrelated to the Finland-Canada dispute. “Let us separate them,” he said to the dejected parents, to their jeers.
“can not take it any longer”
Mr. Bii, weighed down by parental pressure, convened a press conference at the county’s headquarters on Tuesday, where he issued a scathing statement and challenged Senator Mandago for his role in the debacle.
The governor stated that the issue should not be taken lightly because parents were suffering after selling their homes to fund their children’s travels and stay abroad.
“When I took office on August 25, 2022, I swore to safeguard the best interests of the Uasin Gishu citizens. Mr. Bii stated, “I received a petition from parents to investigate the overseas education scandal, for which I am mistakenly being blamed.”
“The parents’ concerns are significant, but my administration is easing their burden by locating a solution and providing them with psychosocial support. “Regrettably, a life has been lost,” he stated.
A preliminary report by a task force he commissioned to investigate the matter determined that the study program was managed by an independent trust known as Uasin Gishu Overseas Trust and not by the county government.
Kenya Commercial Bank held the account that received remittances from parents to cover tuition, housing, flights, and other incidentals for students enrolled in Finnish and Canadian institutions.
“The funds deposited into this account were administered by signatories who were Trust members. “The findings also revealed that the county government did not and does not control the account,” he said.
The account remained operational despite the scandal
In February of this year, when the scandal was discovered, he disclosed that the trust was still depositing funds into the account, and he advised parents to cease all deposits to the account.
“I have since suspended the Department of Education’s acceptance of new applications for overseas programs, but I will continue to assist students who have already paid fees and other incidentals to travel to Finland,” he said.
According to the county administrator, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and all other pertinent agencies were conducting additional investigations into several county officials for forgery, abuse of office, and lack of integrity.
Regarding the parents’ refund request, Mr. Bii stated that it was currently impossible because there were insufficient funds in the account.
“Through the task force, we were able to determine that the account is short Sh138.3 million to facilitate the implementation of the program for the pending students. Some parents owe the Trust a total of Sh87,6,000,000,” he explained.
“Sh17.8 million represents an overpayment to numerous Canadian and Finnish institutions. This situation arose when enrolled students were denied visas, failed the foundation studies, or withdrew from the program for personal reasons, but their fees had already been paid to the institutions,” he explained.
Absent $32.7 million
Regarding the remaining Sh32.7 million, Governor Bii disclosed that the task force was unable to determine its whereabouts and that the investigating agencies should expedite their investigation so that the funds can be recovered.
“As of now, the account contains only Sh1.8 million, which is insufficient to fund the program unless parents contribute more,” he said.
His deputy Eng Barorot stated that he holds weekly meetings with parents and students of Jyvaskylla, LUT, Gradia Consortium College, and Laurea, which hosts Porvo, Lohja, Tikurrila, and Otaniemi campuses, to facilitate joint engagement with senior leadership of the institutions and negotiations for fee payment deadline extensions.
Governor Bii Challenges Mandago on Missing Sh33m in Finland Study Scam: Carry Your Cross!
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