Parents in Finland education scam petition Ruto for refund

More than 300 parents who are victims of the Finland education scam in Uasin Gishu have petitioned the Senate and President William Ruto, seeking help to be refunded more than Sh100 million they paid to the county.

The parents and their children who missed out on the overseas education programme want the Senate to investigate the matter and have the county pay back the money.

They carried out protests in Eldoret, demanding the refund after their frequent visits to the county failed to yield a response.

They have asked President William Ruto to intervene and ensure his home county pays back money it collected from them two years ago.

Some of the  parents paid between Sh1.2 million and Sh3.5 million to the county, which was to take their children to colleges in Finland.

The group, led by Edward Kiptek and Shadrack Juma, said they had visited the county many times but their pleas to be refunded had been ignored.

No county official has been willing to address the matter.

The Finland overseas education programme was initiated during former Governor Jackson Mandago's tenure, and the parents want him to also come out and explain what transpired.

More than 200 students travelled to Finland, where they are studying, but another group of more than 300 failed to benefit despite paying huge sums of money as fees and other travel costs.

Current Governor Jonathan Bii had exonerated the county from the matter and said the programme was handled by a private trust with the county only acting as a guarantor.

Bii suspended three top county officials who were involved and the matter is also under probe by the EACC and the DCI.

The money paid by the parents went missing from bank accounts where they deposited the payments.

"We have petitioned the President because he should not tolerate such injustice to any Kenyan, leave alone in his own home county of Uasin Gishu," Kiptek said.

Kiptek said he had paid Sh2.5 million to the county for his two children but so far, none of them has benefitted from the overseas education programme, causing stress and anguish to his family.

"I have suffered a lot of stress and my children are in a worrying state after failing in their hopes to study in Finland, yet as a family, we used all the money we had to pay the county for the programme," Kiptek said.

Juma said their efforts to seek an audience with county officials on the refund had fallen on deaf ears, with no one at the county coming to their aid.

"It's the county which advertised for the programme and we paid money as advised by county officials. Even if it means death, we will fight until justice is done," he said.

He said he paid more than Sh1.5 million to the county for his child to travel last year but his pleas for a refund had been ignored.

One of the parents, Jane Rotich, broke down and wept uncontrollably as she tried to explain how her son had attempted suicide several times after missing out on the programme after his parents paid out the money to the county.

Rights activist Kimutai Kirui said he had petitioned the Senate on behalf of the affected parents to investigate the matter. Mandago is currently the senator for Uasin Gishu.

"This is not a light matter and we will push to have justice done for the affected parents and their children," Kirui said.

He wondered why the county got involved in such a programme for higher education, yet its mandate covered only basic education, mostly Early Childhood Education.

Kirui said many parents had been fleeced by the county and private firms on the overseas education programmes, and President Ruto should take up the matter.

"Those involved in this scam should not imagine they will go scot-free," Kirui said.

"No mater how long it takes, justice will be done. The tears of the parents and children will not be in vain."