Finland airlift saga: Victims seek compensation at Eldoret Small Claims Court
Litigants follow proceedings during the hearing of the Finland and Canada Students Oversees Study Program at the Small Claims Court within the Eldoret Law Courts in Uasin Gishu County on December 14, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Litigants have sued the Uasin Gishu County government, Governor Jonathan Bii, his deputy John Barorot and Senator Mandago.
- Other parties sued include the Uasin Gishu Overseas Education Trust, Meshack Rono, Joseph Maritim, Joel Ruto and Joshua Lelei.
Victims who lost millions of shillings in the botched Uasin Gishu overseas study programme have headed to the Eldoret Small Claims Court to seek refunds from the county government leadership and Senator Jackson Mandago.
Parents and students affected by the Uasin Gishu Overseas Education saga thronged the Eldoret Small Claims Court on Thursday to attend the hearing of a case in which they have sued the Uasin Gishu County government, Governor Jonathan Bii, his deputy John Barorot and Senator Mandago along with nine other respondents involved in the saga.
The parents caused drama in court as they repeatedly accused the county leadership of mismanaging funds meant for the programme.
The accused county leaders were not in court but were represented by their lawyers.
Other parties sued include the Uasin Gishu Overseas Education Trust, Meshack Rono, Joseph Maritim, Joel Ruto and Joshua Lelei.
Four out of 41 witnesses testified in the case during Thursday's hearing.
Five months ago, the county faced unprecedented protests from victims of the airlift programme over the misappropriation of funds meant for the studies of over 200 students.
Parents of the victims are now demanding a refund from the county government and have since said they have lost interest in the programme following the fraud.
During the hearing of the case on Thursday, the affected students, through their parents, told Eldoret Small Claims Magistrate Tabitha Mbogua that they had a Memorandum of Understanding with Uasin Gishu County government for the study programme, which had gone sour.
The court heard the money was paid into the Uasin Gishu Education Trust account through Kenya Commercial Bank, Eldoret branch. Both the parents and their children testified before the court.
“I paid school fees for my daughter through KCB after signing an MoU with the County Government of Uasin Gishu. What I want is my refund of Sh1 million,” Apolo Kipkoech, one of the aggrieved parents, told the court.
“I demand the county refund the money because I paid, hoping my son would go overseas. We trusted the county leadership to oversee the programme, but we demonstrated when my son failed to travel,” said Mr Omondi Juma, one of the parents.
It took the intervention of the magistrate, who warned them not to use insensitive language in court.
"This is a court of law. We respect the views of every individual but we must cease from using demeaning language against accused persons,” the magistrate told one of the claimants.
Ms Milca Limo, whose daughter lost Sh950,000, told the court that she was given an account number by a county legal officer and she paid the money as instructed.
Ms Limo accused the county leadership of being insensitive to her plight after she sought to know the fate of her daughter who was hoping to get the scholarship.
“My daughter was supposed to travel for Thompson Rivers University in Canada. I gave her money to pay for the programme last October but she has not been able to travel to Canada and I want the county to refund Sh1 million to enable me to plan for her future. She is just staying at home,” said Mrs Limo, from Ndalat, on the border between Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties.
The four parents testified as prosecution witnesses and urged the court to speed up the hearing of the matter.
Through its lawyers, the county government has denied the charges and wants the court to dismiss the claimants’ case with costs.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case to February 26.
Senator Mandago, Meshack Rono and Joshua Lelei are facing similar charges in a Nakuru court.
The trio were charged with conspiracy to steal Sh1.1 billion from a Kenya Commercial Bank account in Eldoret registered under the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund.
They denied the charges and were released on a cash bail of Sh500,000 each. The case is still ongoing in court.
