By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A Kenyan Senator, Jackson Mandago, has been arraigned over a scholarship scandal in the country, a crime President William Ruto said those responsible will be held to account.
Along with three others, Senator Mandago of Uasin Gishu faces 11 charges, including theft and abuse of office.
He is accused of involvement in a racket that allegedly conspired to steal a reported 1.1bn Kenyan shillings ($7.6m; £5.9m) that was meant to fund further education for Kenyan students in Finland and Canada.
Dozens of students who had paid to study abroad allegedly remained stranded in Kenya as a consequence, according to local media reports.
His arraignment came a day after his arrest. The Directorate of Public Prosecutions issued a warrant for his arrest over the scandal for which the students are demanding accountability.
He was arrested along with two county officials, Joshua Lelei and Meshack Rono who have been implicated in the scam while the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revealed Wednesday that the fourth suspect Joseph Maritim is believed to have sneaked out of the country at the height of the investigation.
A warrant of arrest was issued against the trio after they failed to appear in court to face charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, abuse of office among other charges.
“Sleuths from the Financial Investigations Unit launched a manhunt for the three who engaged them in cat and mouse games, before the suspects opted to surrender when they ran out of ideas,” the DCI said.
On Wednesday President William Ruto said that any individuals found culpable of embezzling funds from parents and students in the Finland scholarship programme must take responsibility for their actions.
Senator Mandago is a close ally of President Ruto. Despite this, the country’s leader insists that everyone involved in the scandal will be held to account.
“Kama kuna mtu alikula iyo pesa ajipange kulipa mapema ama ataingia taabani,” (Anyone who stole the hard-earned money earmarked for the education of the residents’ children should be prepared to reimburse all of the stolen sums to the last coin)
He promised to step in to offer financial support to the affected students upon the completion of the ongoing investigations into the saga.
Ruto reiterated his commitment to providing financial assistance and will not shield those responsible for the scholarship scam
“I will not allow them(suspects) to get away with this crime,” Ruto asserted labeling their actions as deeply embarrassing.
