• The 179 students say they are being taken round in circles but the officials have also resorted to intimidating the most vocal students speaking out about the issue.
• Parents and students are demanding a refund of more than Sh300 million.
Image: FILE
Students affected by the controversial Finland education programme have written to President William Ruto seeking his intervention to have officials in the Uasin Gishu County government refund their money.
The 179 students say they are being taken round in circles and the officials have also resorted to intimidating the most vocal students speaking out about the issue.
"We are writing this to you with broken and heavy hearts, with the hope that you will offer respite for this situation for as time goes by, so does the hope to make our dreams come true," they told the President.
Parents and students are demanding a refund of more than Sh300 million.
Their demand for the cash comes even after 46 students enlisted for the programme left the country in two batches for studies abroad at the facilitation of the county government.
Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor John Barorot said on September 10 that the county chose to maintain the controversial education and jobs programme despite the controversy surrounding it.
"We will still keep our eye on the ball so we help our children to go out there to study,” Barorot said.
The students asking for a refund said the 46 students were not part of the group that is seeking a refund.
"As a matter of fact, it's important to note that one among the aforementioned students was a county official."
The students called on the president to hold the end of his pledge to have the county officials grant them local scholarships which he made when he attended the devolution conference.
They said even if the scholarships were to come, they would still need the money since their parents have fallen ill and they as the primary victims are struggling with depression which requires medication.
"Your excellency, when you attended the Devolution Conference in Uasin Gishu, you stated that we should be refunded, but one month down the line nothing has happened on that front. Instead, they have taken to chest-thumping and threatening the most vocal students in a bid to silence them.
"This begs the question, where are you? Why have they refused to listen to you? Why are the hustlers being threatened for standing up for their rights? Where are we headed as your home county?" the students posed.
The Finland education programme is a matter before the court.
The affected students had paid fees through the county but missed out on the programme initiated by former Governor Jackson Mandago who is now senator for Uasin Gishu.
Mandago was charged with fraud alongside former county officials Meshack Rono and Joshua Lelei. The three denied the charges.
Mandago was on August 17 released on Sh500,000 bail after he denied conspiracy to defraud the Uasin Gishu County Education Trust Fund of Sh1.1 billion when he was governor.
The case will be mentioned for a pretrial hearing on October 2.