Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago has been acquitted in the high-profile case involving the alleged misappropriation of KSh1.1 billion linked to the county’s overseas scholarship programme.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, July 23, the High Court in Nakuru held that the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence to establish the conspiracy charges against Mandago. The court found that the case fell short of the legal standard required for a conviction, bringing to an end a prosecution that had stretched for more than six years.
Mandago, who was serving as the Governor of Uasin Gishu when the scholarship initiative was introduced, had faced charges together with other former county officials over claims that money collected to finance students studying abroad had been mishandled.
The scholarship programme was established to assist students from Uasin Gishu County to pursue higher education in countries including Finland and Canada. Parents and beneficiaries were required to contribute up to KSh1 million each into a trust account established for the programme.
Questions about the management of the fund emerged in September 2021 after students and parents complained of inadequate communication from county officials. Several students in Finland also reported financial difficulties, with some facing possible eviction after tuition and accommodation fees allegedly went unpaid.
When affected families sought answers from the county government, they were informed that the scholarship fund no longer had sufficient resources to continue supporting the students.
Subsequent investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) established that parents had contributed approximately KSh957 million to the programme. Investigators alleged that only about KSh257 million had been used to cover tuition and other education-related expenses, while roughly KSh700 million could not be properly accounted for and was suspected to have been misappropriated.
Following the investigations and mounting public pressure from affected families, Mandago and two former county officials were arrested in August 2023. They were charged with offences including conspiracy to commit theft, abuse of office and making false representations.
However, after hearing the case, the High Court concluded that the prosecution had not proved the allegations to the required criminal standard. As a result, Mandago was acquitted, bringing the long-running criminal proceedings against him to a close.
