Uasin Gishu senator Jackson Mandago arrested in Eldoret

He was arrested at his residence and carted off to the DCI regional office in Nakuru. 

The senator is among three others in the spotlight over the Finland and Canada Overseas Education Programme, which has been mired in scandal.

The other officials are Joseph Kipkemoi Maritim, Meshak Rono and Joshua Kipkemoi Lelei.

A Nakuru court issued the arrest warrant on Wednesday, ordering the arrest of the senator to face various charges in court.

 Mandago, along with his co-accused, have been accused of conspiring to steal Ksh.1.1 billion from a Kenya Commercial Bank account in Eldoret registered under Uasin Gishu Education trust Fund meant for overseas university fees for students under the Uasin Gishu County Overseas Education Program.

The collapsed Finland and Canada scholarship programme has occasioned uproar and massive protests in Uasin Gishu, with hundreds of graduates affected and their parents taking to the streets to demand for refunds from the county government.

So far Mandago has recorded a statement with detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to aid in the probe.

He has also been grilled by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for his role in the programme, which was initiated during his tenure as Governor.