NAIROBI, Kenya- Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi has reacted to the acquittal of Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, insisting that parents who paid into the controversial Finland and Canada education programme deserve justice.
Speaking after Nakuru Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ndege acquitted Mandago and two former Uasin Gishu County officials, Sudi claimed that the funds contributed by parents had been lost, regardless of the court’s decision.
“The truth of the matter is that pesa ya wazazi ilipotea, and the parents had already paid. I was telling Mandago tufanye harambee, but akajifanya mjuaji and refused,” Sudi said.
The Kapseret legislator further alleged that the money spent on legal representation and bribing judicial officers could instead have been used to compensate affected families.
“The money he’s been using on lawyers na kuhonga magistrates could have paid hata nusu ya hiyo pesa. The case has stalled and the one with influence has benefited, because mnyonge hana haki.”
Sudi did not provide evidence to support his allegation that magistrates had been bribed. The claim has not been substantiated, and the court has not made any findings suggesting judicial misconduct.
He concluded by expressing solidarity with parents affected by the overseas scholarship programme.
“But I am standing with these parents and their right to justice. Ni sawa, Mungu atasimama na hao wazazi.”
Mandago, alongside former Uasin Gishu County Executive Committee Member for Education Victorine Bungei and former County Director of Education Edith Cherop, was acquitted of charges linked to the Sh1.1 billion Finland and Canada education programme after the court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The case stemmed from investigations into the county’s overseas scholarship initiative, under which hundreds of parents paid millions of shillings for university placements in Finland and Canada.
Many students were left stranded after the programme encountered financial and administrative challenges.
While the criminal case has ended with the acquittal of the three accused, many affected parents continue to pursue compensation and accountability over the money they paid into the programme.