A Nakuru law court has issued a warrant of arrest against Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and three other former officials over the Ksh1.1 billion Finland and Canada scholarship scandal.
The arrest orders came after Mandago and his co-accused failed to appear before Nakuru Chief Magistrate to answer to eleven charges of stealing, abuse of office and conspiracy to commit a felony.
The court issued the arrest orders following an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions through Victor Mule.
Mandago is charged alongside Joseph Kipkemoi Maritim, Meshak Rono and Joshua Kipkemoi Lelei.
The four are jointly charged with conspiring to steal Ksh1.1 billion from an account at KCB Eldoret registered under Uasin Gichu education trust Fund meat for overseas university fees for the aggrieved students.
Maritim, Rono and Lelei are charged with stealing Ksh56.5 million from the education trust fund on diverse dates between June 2021 and September 12, 2022.
Maritim is separately charged with stealing Ksh660,000 while Rono is accused of stealing Ksh10.8 million.
Within the same period, Lelei is charged with stealing Ksh2.7 Millon while Mandago is charged with abuse of office by arbitrarily entering into MoU between various Universities in Finland and Canada on behalf of the Uasin Gichu County government without a resolution and approval by County Assembly.
Mandago is further accused of abusing his office when he was governor by misrepresenting that the County Government of Uasin Gichu was offering full scholarships for overseas education.
He is further accused of abuse of office by arbitrarily seconding Uasin Gichu County staff to a private entity namely Uasin Gichu Overseas Education Trust (UGOET) thereby drawing salary from the county government an act that was prejudicial to residents of the County.
Maritim, Rono and Lelei are charged with forging a document namely a declaration trust dated May 6, 2021, in respect of UGOET purporting it to be a genuine document signed by Dr. Joel Chelule, Dr. Susan Keino and Loice Cheruiyot with intent to defraud UGOET.
The trio are separately charged with forging minutes of UGOET purporting it to be genuine documents signed by Dr. Chelule.
