- There are claims that parents paid money to the county which was to be forwarded to the respective universities but part of it was not wired.
- Failure to wire the money led to the current situation in which the universities have threatened to terminate the programmes and send back the students.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii has called a crisis meeting of his cabinet to discuss the ongoing row over a county-coordinated overseas education programme in Finland affecting more than 380 students.
Some of the students risk deportation from Finland due to non-payment of fees.
Bii said the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has taken up the matter for investigations and auditors are also dealing with matter but his team would meet this week to discuss recommendations by MCAs.
The programme was initiated and signed during the tenure of former Governor Jackson Mandago but Bii said it was run independent of county government by a trust and that no public funds were used to fund the programme.
“This, therefore, means that no public funds were or will be appropriated to fund this programme,” the governor said in a statement.
He said the overseas programme was created to enable parents who did not have the ability to obtain bank statements, or even bank accounts to support the visa application process.
The county acted as a guarantor for the students because of requirements at the universities, where the students were to study.
The programme was, however, run by a registered trust and the ongoing probe would establish if any money was lost and why the programme ran into problems.
Bii had said that as part of the requirement for visa applications, six months accommodation in Finland, first semester fees and pathway studies must be paid for and proof of payment attached during visa applications.
The county coordinated the visa applications to help the affected students.
However, there are claims that parents paid money to the county which was to be forwarded to the respective universities but part of it was not wired.
Failure to wire the money led to the current situation in which the universities have threatened to terminate the programmes and send back the students.
The Uasin Gishu county assembly which has been investigating the matter has recommended the suspension of three officials to facilitate investigations.
The assembly said it had noted illegal activities concerning the programme.
In his statement, Bii said the ongoing Finland student numbers from Uasin Gishu county include the first group composed of students in Finland who left Kenya between September 2021 and September 2022.
They include those at Tampere University who are 111, Jvaskyla University (25) and Laurea University (66), making a total of 202 currently in Finland.
The second group, he said, include 56 students who are in Kenya and have studied one semester online and obtained visas to study at Laurea University and those in the category must pay second semester fees by March 31 before they can travel to Finland.
The third group includes 49 students in Kenya who have obtained visas and have completed the pathway to study engineering at LUT University and are ready to travel, and their first-year fees have been paid.
The fourth group of 78 students in Kenya whose fees have been paid by their parents to the universities and whose visa applications have been launched makes a total of 384 affected.
Bii said for all the 384 students, pathway fees, first semester fees, accommodation, visa fees, insurance fees (travel and medical) and air tickets were paid for, both in Finland and in Kenya.
That does not include the 78 whose visa applications are pending.
The governor said his new administration formed a task force last December to bring together universities, parents and other stakeholders and make recommendations on the way forward.
The task force has been engaging stakeholders—universities, trustees, parents, banks, and students—to ensure that everyone is clear on their roles and responsibilities.
“We have negotiated with universities for an extension of the fee due dates. We have also discussed and reminded the parents that payment of fees is their responsibility,” he said.
The county also held discussions with KCB on the opening of bank sub accounts on the main trust account for each cohort with parents as signatories.
The governor said the task force he formed has already engaged auditors to carry out a forensic audit on the trust fund accounts, even as he insists that the parents have an obligation to pay fees by March 31.
“We have engaged with financial institutions, and some are willing to offer a soft loan to parents who are willing to pay fees for their children”, he said.
Bii said he has also received a report from the county assembly, which will be committed to the cabinet for discussion and recommendation on the way forward.
The MCAs also investigated complaints against a private recruitment firm known as First Choice which is accused of failing to take hundreds of youth to Qatar for jobs before last year’s World Cup.
The assembly recommended withdrawal of the license for the firm among other measures.