Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and seven others are set to face fresh charges in relation to the Sh50 million Finland education scandal.
Detectives were actively pursuing the suspects following the approval of charges by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga, which were proposed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
The scandal revolves around the Uasin Gishu County’s Sh1.1 billion scholarship programme established during Mandago’s tenure.
The EACC launched an investigation into the program after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) requested critical evidence from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
However, the DCI failed to provide the necessary documents.
This prompted the ODPP to request the withdrawal of the existing case against Mandago and three others, replacing it with the EACC’s case, which is believed to have stronger evidence.
EACC has reportedly established key financial trails that the DCI had not uncovered.
The investigation revealed that the number of students admitted to various universities in Finland and Canada under the programme, along with details such as academic fees and visa processing, had not been fully established by the DCI.
EACC’s probe, however, managed to collect the relevant documents and traveled to the countries involved to gather evidence from key institutions.
The case involves several other suspects, including individuals connected to the Uasin Gishu County Government and private entities believed to have fraudulently acquired funds.
Mandago and his co-accused face charges of conspiracy to commit economic crimes, abuse of office, and fraudulent acquisition of public property, among others.
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