Kenyan senator arrested over scholarship scam
By BBC
Published
1 min read
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.
A Kenyan senator has been arrested over a scholarship scandal.
Jackson Mandago and three others face 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.
Those who had already joined universities risked homelessness, expulsion and deportation after the county government stopped their payments for accommodation and tuition.
The alleged crimes unfolded when Mr Mandago was serving as the governor.
Mr Mandago has previously denied misappropriating the money, Kenya's Star paper reports.
According to another report, he and the current Uasin Gishu county governor had agreed to ensure the victims receive refunds.
President William Ruto has also commented on the matter, ordering whoever is responsible for the scandal to repay the money for the Finland and Canada Overseas Education Programme quickly or face "trouble".
He said that once investigations were finalised he would offer local scholarships to those affected.
