Families demand justice after court acquits Mandago in Ksh.1.1B Finland scholarship case

A Nakuru court dismissed all the charges for lack of evidence. However, for families that sold land and invested millions of shillings in the hope of pursuing education abroad, the ruling has brought little comfort.

Naomi Chepchirchir, a resident of Racecourse in Uasin Gishu County and one of the students enrolled in the Finland Education Programme spearheaded by the Uasin Gishu County Government, broke down in tears as she recounted her ordeal.

The acquittal of Senator Mandago, Lelei and Rono in the alleged misappropriation case, in a judgement delivered on Thursday, July 23, has only deepened her pain and reminded her of the millions she lost in the programme.

"We invested so much in this programme. I did not have a plan B. My dream was to study and come back to help my parents. We have suffered, and depression is real. I trusted the system because this was a government programme. I never imagined it would end up like this," Chepchirchir stated. 

She is now stranded at home after resigning from her job in anticipation of travelling to Finland. She has turned to fundraising in the hope of raising enough money to continue her education in Kenya.

"It is very painful because the people we interviewed with have already graduated. Sometimes I ask God why this happened to us. We are a family that prays, yet someone destroyed my dreams. I still do not understand why."

Joshua Kipkemboi from Tereshia Village in Ziwa, Uasin Gishu County, also abandoned his journalism studies at Kisii University after his mother sold family land and paid Ksh.1.2 million for him to study in Finland.

Three years later, his future remains uncertain.

"By now I would have graduated with a journalism degree from Kisii University, but this issue changed everything," he noted. 

His mother, Dorcas Maiyo, said the family sacrificed everything in pursuit of the opportunity.

"We do not have formal jobs. I survive by growing vegetables so that my children can go to school. When we heard about the Finland programme, my husband had no job, so we decided to sell our land. The first piece was not enough, so we sold another one until we raised all the money, including the airfare," Maiyo remarked. 

Nicholas Cheruiyot Kemei from Turbo Constituency also sold land worth Ksh.1.17 million to finance his son's nursing studies in Finland.

Three years later, he says all hope appears to have been lost, despite promises made when the matter first came to light in 2023.

"At my age, I had never held Ksh.1 million before. That was the first time, and it disappeared just like that. Mr President, you promised that another arrangement would be made for these children to continue with their studies while the case was in court. We are still waiting," Kemei added. 

Mary Kemei appealed directly to Senator Mandago to engage the affected families outside the courtroom.

"We wanted Mandago to speak to us so that we could resolve this matter. If he reaches out to us, we are ready to withdraw everything because we did not take him to court. The case alone will not help us."

Some of the affected families also claim they have been receiving threats from government officials.