The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has called for justice to be served on victims of the scholarship scandal that has engulfed Uasin Gishu County in recent weeks.
Former governor and now senator Jackson Mandago, as well as two others, Joshua Lelei and Mishack Rono, are accused of stealing Ksh.1.1 billion from the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund, which was intended for overseas university fees for scholarship students.
The students were to attend college in Finland and Canada.
ODM condemned the incident in a statement on Tuesday, saying it is “not an isolated occurrence but rather a reflection of a broader trend within the William Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza political circle.”
“The Uasin Gishu student airlift scam is a grave violation of the public trust. We believe that this heinous act is not an anomaly, but rather indicative of a disturbing pattern of corruption and exploitation by Kenya Kwanza honchos,” said the Raila Odinga-led party.
ODM called upon the relevant criminal justice agencies to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation to uncover the truth and bring justice to the victims.
“It is imperative that the perpetrators of this deceitful scheme, including former Governor Jackson Mandago, be held accountable for their actions,” said ODM.
“The affected families are not only deserving of restitution but also desire to see the rule of law upheld and justice served.”
According to ODM, the Uasin Gishu student airlift scam has exposed the vulnerabilities within the system that allow unscrupulous individuals to exploit the aspirations of innocent citizens for personal gain.
“The Uasin Gishu student airlift scam serves as a stark reminder that the fight against corruption and fraudulent activities within the political realm is far from over, as we saw it in a spate of withdrawal of high profile criminal cases and appointment into public positions of persons of questionable integrity,” The party concluded.
So far, Senator Mandago, Rono and Maritim have been arraigned as hundreds of graduates affected and their parents demand refunds from the county government.
Mandago has already given a statement to detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to assist with the investigation.
He has also been questioned by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) about his role in the program.
