- EACC Director of Communications Eric Ngumbi told the Star on Tuesday that they are finalising the probe on the matter.
- He noted that the matter will be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal action once investigations are done.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has assured Kenyans that the probe into the Finland scholarship saga is ongoing.
This comes after a section of Kenyans took to social media to question what the EACC was doing about the matter.
EACC Director of Communications Eric Ngumbi told the Star on Tuesday that they are finalising the probe on the matter.
He noted that the matter will be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal action once investigations are done.
"The EACC being fully aware of the immense public interest and need for expeditious justice in this matter, has prioritized the investigation that commenced in March 2023," Ngumbi said.
"The Commission is now at the tail end of the probe and will in the coming weeks submit the resultant file to the Director of Public Prosecutions with appropriate recommendations."
The Finland education saga has been a subject of discussion among Kenyans with video footage of parents and students involved in the matter going viral on social media.
The EACC last week Tuesday said it had commenced investigations into the alleged embezzlement of Sh837 million by officials of the Uasin Gishu County Government.
The commission grilled former Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago over the scandal. He's now the current senator in the county.
He was asked to record a statement to aid investigations considering his role as the county boss when the Overseas Trust Fund was conceptualised and operationalised.
Mandago also exercised oversight over the Department of Youth and Gender and Sports Affairs, where the programme was domiciled, and he is alleged to have played a key role in the adoption of the programme.
According to EACC, the funds were collected from parents for the facilitation of Tertiary Education in Finland and Canada during the 2021-22 financial year.
EACC established that the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund Account was opened in May 2021 and by December 2022, Sh957,167,143 had been credited to the account by parents.
"A total of Sh257,326,740 was debited from the Uasin Gishu Overseas Account to beneficiaries indicated as agents and/or intermediaries for onward transmission to Universities in Finland and Canada," the commission said in a status update on the case on Tuesday.
The commission said that it is alleged some parents defaulted in making payments, which necessitated the use of funds for children who had not yet travelled to pay second-semester fees for those already in overseas universities.
Currently, 233 students are studying in Finland and 45 in Canada, it said.
"The investigation will reveal any embezzlement that may have taken place in the process.
EACC said the probe further focuses on Sh57,538,429 withdrawn locally by the county officials appointed to manage the Trust Fund Account.