Uasin Gishu scholarship scam: Graduates painfully recount how they were duped, plead for refund

University graduates in Uasin Gishu have come out to narrate how a scholarship programme initiated by the county government that they hoped would change their lives for the better, has turned out to be their worst nightmares.

The graduates are part of at least 126 others who enrolled for the programme that is now the subject of a probe by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over an alleged loss of millions of shillings.

Mercy Tarus, a Kabarak University graduate, is one such victim. Tarus has since captured the attention of many Kenyans online following a viral video in which she angrily and directly castigates the county leadership for fumbling the programme and attempting to evade accountability.

Tarus, in the video, tells of the leaders saying that, while she now wallows in poverty back home after the collapse of the programme, their own children whom she schooled with are presently living their best lives abroad, with a privileged head start to life in posh universities.

The distressed graduate says that her sole reason for enrolling for the scholarship was because “I was trying to search for a better life, and opportunities that may not be found here.”

“We were told that it would be easier for us to go to Canada and Finland through the county government...we would not be asked for bank statements, they would provide for us a blanket cover,” she said during an interview on Citizen TV’s ‘The Big Conversation’ special programme on Wednesday night.

“That is why we trusted the Uasin Gishu County government...in fact they told us to hurry up and organize our financial affairs within two weeks and bring them the money. We trusted them and gave them our money, but when it came to accountability, they decided that they’re now not going to be involved with this program.”

Tarus, who presently puts food on the table by selling porridge in her locality, went on to reveal how she says they were duped by presumed county officials at the inception of the programme, by being asked to switch off their phones during meetings.

She states that she is no longer interested in going through with the scholarship programme, even if the issues bedevilling it are fixed and it is brought back on track.

Her only plea, as well as that of many others in her position, is that the county government refunds them the money they paid for the programme.

“I cannot believe that they would call us to a meeting and tell us to switch off our phones, put them in a basket and then they tell us about the program. And we did that, I cannot believe it,” she recalls.

“I just want my money back, mine and other 126 students. We want our money back. They have sold to us hope, we’re trying to catch on straws and we’re drowning.”

She also has a plea to President William Ruto, whom she wants to break his silence on the matter and come to their aid.

“I’d like to address President William Ruto; Please compel them to return our money, through your offices, look into this matter, look into their accounts and hold them accountable,” says Tarus.

“Tell them to give us our money, we did not steal that money, we did not acquire that money through corruption, there are evidences of people who sold their land and homes, some of us asked for harambees. Please, Mr. President, do not be silent, compel them to return our money.”

Janet, yet another victim of the scholarship-that-never-came-to-be, graduated from the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) with First Class honours.

When she applied for the scholarship programme to Canada, her dream was to become a Research Scientist. But now she plies her trade by selling samosas and dancing for revellers at entertainment joints.

“My target was to be a very powerful Research Scientist in this world. I wanted to go to Canada because I know it is a first world country where they have sophisticated machines, where you can work in the field of biotechnology in a very smart manner. But now they’re killing the dreams I had by taking the money our parents paid, and taking our lives for granted,” she narrates.

“I’m selling samosas, and doing solo songs with traditional dancers on YouTube. I’m telling our leaders to refund our money. Imagine a graduate going to sherehe and entertaining people, with my own degree under the bed. Our leaders, come to our rescue, you’re killing us; killing our dreams is killing our lives.”

Benjamin deferred his studies at fourth year to go complete them abroad, through the Uasin Gishu County scholarship programme.

His community members contributed money to facilitate him to go abroad, but now they see him working at a local bar and wonder what exactly happened to their money.

He says officials who oversaw the programme took from them photocopies of their ATM cards, and now many are checking their bank accounts and finding zilch in there.

“The reason they were collecting the photocopy of the ATM cards was because the county government of Uasin Gishu acted as the guarantors, and that it would be a direct guarantee for Visas for students of Uasin Gishu. But we knew later that they wanted to take the money of many students who had enrolled in this program, joined together, and use that money for maybe the first 20 students,” he says

On being asked if money was withdrawn from their personal accounts, he says; “Yes, of course, and now we have parents crying and students complaining because they’re checking their personal bank accounts and finding nothing.”

“They bought our patience with a lot of lies. Now, I’m working in a bar as a supervisor; it a life that has degraded the level of steps that I had made in life. I’m also an author of a book, because I had to upgrade my brand,” he adds.