Parents demand refunds of millions over Finland and Canada education saga

Eldoret, Wednesday, July 12, 2023,

KNA by Judy Too

The controversial study program deals between the Uasin Gishu county government, Finland, and Canadian institutions took a twist after angry parents and students stormed the Uasin Gishu county offices demanding a refund of school fees following the aborted study programs.

They are demanding reimbursement of over Sh300 million for the aborted students’ education program in Finland and Canada.

The county government has been blamed for the non-remittance of fees to universities in the foreign country, with some students either failing to travel to study, and those who travelled being stranded at some point in foreign countries due to fee arrears.

The Uasin Gishu county governor Jonathan Bii, while addressing the press over the matter noted that there are 22 students destined for Finland and 103 for Canada universities but have not received placement letters yet they have paid fees for one semester.

The county government has been criticized for the mess that allegedly involved senior county officials embezzling millions of shillings intended for students.

“I received a petition from parents to look into the overseas training program that was ongoing, initially I addressed this matter internally however the preliminary report that I received indicated that this program was managed by an independent trust known as Uasin Gishu overseas education trust and not the county government,” he revealed.

“On December 9, 2022, I formed a task force to look into the matter and the mandate of the task force was to review the performance of the program and finally make recommendations going forward,” he said.

He noted that the account which was used to receive payment on fees, accommodation, flight charges, and other incidentals for students registered to enrol at Finland and Canadian institutions were managed by signatories who were members of the trust, and the county government was not in control of the account.

“At the time of the formation of the task force it was found that the trust was still collecting funds into the account and when this revelation was brought to my attention in February this year the task force immediately advised parents to stop any kind of deposits to that account,” Bii said.

He urged parents and students to be patient as they address the matter noting that the scholarship program was started under the administration of his predecessor Jackson Mandago.

He confirmed that in his ten months of leadership, no recruitment or admission of new students has taken place.

“This preceded my request to Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to look into the matter and avail its recommendation. The investigation is still ongoing,” Bii noted.

Courtesy ; K. N. A