The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) on Wednesday ordered the arrest of former Uasin Gishu governor Jackson Manadgo and three other former officials linked to the Finland and Canada scholarship scandal.
Sources confirmed to Kenyans.co.ke that a Nakuru court has issued an arrest warrant after the scandal that saw parents lose millions in savings in a scholarship scheme caused a public uproar, with Kenyans calling for action against former county officials.
The officials have been in the spotlight after parents of students who were sent to foreign countries accused county officials of embezzling millions of money they fundraised for the programme.
Other top officials accused of swindling parents include Joseph Kipkemoi Maritim, Meshak Rono and Joshua Kipkemoi Lelei who served in the county unit.
"There is a warrant of arrest in court. Either he presents himself at the DCI or we arrest him. There is nothing else we can say on the matter," DCI boss Amin Mohamed told Kenyans.co.ke.
It is, however, not clear if the former Governor and the current sitting Senator of Uasin Gishu will honour the order for him to surrender to the police.
Mandago's phone went off minutes after the news broke, and DCI confirmed that they were looking for him. Efforts to reach him for comment bore no fruit.
The scholarship scandal came to light in September 2021, when parents of students who had been selected began to complain that they had not received any information while some students got stuck in Finland after failing to pay fees and accommodation.
When they contacted the county government, the students and their parents were told that the scholarship fund had run out and that there was no money to further support the project.
An investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) found that a total of Ksh957 million had been collected from parents for the scholarship programme.
It was also established that only Ksh257 million had been used to pay for the student's tuition and other expenses. The remaining Ksh700 million was allegedly embezzled by county officials.
The EACC and DCI have since recorded reports from several individuals in connection with the scandal, including Mandago, his deputy Daniel Chemno, and several county officials.
The suspects have denied the charges.
Many parents have narrated that they lost their life savings, and their children have been left stranded in Finland and Canada.
