Mandago grilled by EACC detectives over Uasin Gishu scholarship scam

Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago on Tuesday appeared before the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives for questioning over the county’s scholarship scam.

Sources at the commission told Citizen Digital that the former Governor availed himself at the Integrity Centre headquarters in Nairobi at 8am to record a statement after being summoned by the commission.

EACC is probing allegations of embezzlement of over Ksh.837 million by officials of the Uasin Gishu County government collected from parents for the facilitation of scholarship programmes for their children to Finland and Canada.

Mandago was summoned in his capacity as the county boss when the Overseas Trust Fund was conceptualized and operationalized.

“As Governor, he also exercised oversight over the Department of Youth & Gender and Sports Affairs, where the program was domiciled, and he is alleged to have played key roles in the adoption of the programme,” the EACC source said.

The Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund account is said to have been opened in May 2021, and by December 2022, Ksh.957,167,143 had been credited to the account by parents.

A total of Ksh.257,326,740 was debited from the account to beneficiaries to facilitate them to Finland and Canada for the programmes.

The anti-graft watchdog is focusing its probe on Ksh.57,538,429 withdrawn locally by Uasin Gishu County officials appointed to manage the fund.

The controversial multi-million shilling scholarship saga has reduced to blame games between Governor Jonathan Bii and Senator Mandago.

Governor Bii previously distanced himself from blame calling for Mandago to come out clean in the scandal in which millions of students' money was allegedly misappropriated.

In his response, Mandago refuted allegations levelled against him while asking Governor Bii to take responsibility as the leader of the county.