Mary Chemutai, who lost Sh1.2 million in the Finland scholarship scandal, when she testified in court.
Ms Mary Chemutai’s determination to provide the best education for her son led her to make painful sacrifices.
Ms Chemutai struggled to raise Sh1.2 million to send her son to an university in Finland.
While testifying in court on Wednesday, Ms Chemutai said she sold everything she had for her son’s education but her hopes have been dashed and she is fighting to get her money refunded.
Ms Chemutai is one of the 202 prosecution witnesses in the case against Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and two former county officials Joshua Lelei and Meshack Rono.
The three are charged with conspiracy to steal, stealing and abuse of office leading to the misappropriation of funds.
Testifying before Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ndege, Ms Chemutai narrated how she disrupted her son’s education and sold her property to fund an overseas scholarship program promoted by the Uasin Gishu County government.
Ms Chemutai’s son, identified only as Benjamin in court papers, had been enrolled at the Presbyterian University, but she discontinued his studies after learning about the scholarship opportunity for Finnish universities.
In her testimony, Ms Chemutai said she believed it would be a better future for him with the promise of overseas employment while studying.
She said she sold everything she had thinking that the Finland education programme would give her son a chance for a brighter future.
“Senator Mandago, who was the governor at the time, encouraged us to raise the money for the first semester assuring us that our children would pay subsequent fees once they secured jobs abroad,” Ms Chemutai said.
The court also heard how Ms Chemutai paid a total of Sh1.2 million in two installments, Sh550,000 in February 2022, followed by an additional Sh368,000 for tuition fees.
On September 26 2022, she paid Sh79,000 for insurance and visa processing and another Sh80,000 for accommodation and was provided with an acceptance letter for the program.
But her son Benjamin never traveled.
The county repeatedly postponed the travel dates and Chemutai’s hopes faded.
“After selling everything, my son did not travel and has been at home ever since I stopped his education at the Presbyterian University. I cannot take him to another institution because I have nothing left to sell,” she said.
A frustrated Chemutaisaid she requested a refund as advised by the program handlers but to date, she has not received any funds.
Upon cross examination by the defense lawyers, Ms Chemutai denied knowledge of a bridging course known as pathway studies which was mandatory before joining the overseas universities.
Lawyer Stephen Kibungei confirmed to the court that some of the money was meant for the program which upon competition and passage was one allowed to join the overseas institutions.
According to the lawyer, the money paid by the women was used for the financing of the studies as well as processing of Visa and insurance covers before the program ran into a hitch.
He indicated to the woman a possibility that her son could have failed the studies.
The woman claimed her son had told her that he had passed all the exams both the interviews and the pathway studies.
At least 35 witnesses have testified in the case with three taking to the stand on Wednesday. The hearing continues on Thursday.
