Hitch in effort to save 202 students facing deportation in Finland
Silas Maiyo, a representative of parents, during a press conference on the Uasin-Gishu Finland Overseas Programme where 202 students in various universities are facing deportation. With him were Uasin Gishu County Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim and his deputy John Barorot. The press conference was held at the county headquarters in Eldoret town on March 05, 2023.
What you need to know:
- 202 students in three Finnish universities are facing deportation due to fee arrears
- The students from Uasin Gishu county went to Finland under the controversy ridden overseas students airlift programme
- The Uasin Gishu-Finland scholarship programme was implemented under former Governor Jackson Mandago
- The county government has since clarified that the offer was not a scholarship, because parents were to pay for the education of their children
Efforts by the Uasin Gishu County Government to save 202 students facing deportation from Finland over a scholarship scandal have been hit by a fresh controversy over the management of foreign accounts meant to receive and pay the fees for the students in three Finnish universities.
It follows suspicions and fears by parents, who are required to deposit more funds into the Uasin Gishu Overseas Education Trust Account, where the money would be drawn by the universities to settle fee arrears for the affected students.
The management of the trust account is facing sharp suspicions from parents, because trustees are believed to have benefited from unwarranted withdrawals, among other irregularities that have resulted in three universities threatening to deport 202 students over fee arrears.
Consequently, a majority of the parents are unwilling to make fee payments into the account, fearing the money will be embezzled.
They now want the account re-operationalised as recommended by the Uasin Gishu County Assembly ad-hoc committee formed in February to investigate the scandal, and to be permitted to be signatories.
“Parents have lost confidence in trustees implicated in forgery, abuse of office, and integrity issues and want to have an upper hand in the management of accounts meant to pay fees for their children,” said Mr Kimutai Kirui, an activist who was behind the unearthing of the scandal.
The Uasin Gishu-Finland Students Overseas Programme was implemented under former Governor Jackson Mandago.
The county government, under the administration of Mr Mandago, had acted as guarantor to enable the students to pursue studies and work in Finland, but parents were expected to pay fees for their children.
Governor Bii's clarification
The county government has since clarified that the offer was not a scholarship, because parents were to pay for the education of their children. The role of the county government was purely to act as guarantor, Governor Jonathan Chelilim Bii explained on Sunday, even as he distanced his administration from the mess.
The ad-hoc committee of the Uasin Gishu County Assembly that was formed in early February to investigate the Finnish airlift scandal had recommended restructuring of the account after a forensic audit and new signatories drawn from parents’ representatives.
The committee endorsed recovery of the looted funds to support students who are stranded in Finnish universities and who are now on the verge of being kicked out of the country over fee arrears.
“The accounts at Kenya Commercial Bank, Eldoret East Branch should be re-operationalised after the forensic audit and new signatories consisting of parents’ representatives selected through a transparent public participation process and staff of the county of high moral standards who are on permanent and pensionable terms,” said the assembly report.
The county assembly committee further demanded a refund of money irregularly paid to consultancy agencies and individuals. The team said the recovered money should be deposited in the new trust account because it is the parents’ money meant to pay fees.
Crisis talks
In a bid to save face, the county government has held talks with KCB on opening a sub-account on the main trust account, with parents being signatories.
“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,” said Deputy Governor John Barorot.
Tampere University ended its cooperation with the Uasin Gishu County government after it declined to extend the fee payment deadline of February 28 for 111 students, while Jvaskyla and Laurea universities have given the students up to March 31 to clear their second-semester fees or have the studies terminated.
Mr Bii was expected to issue a public statement after convening a crisis meeting on Thursday to deliberate on the overseas scholarship scandal and ways of resolving it.
“We have received the report from county assembly, which will be committed to the Cabinet for discussion and recommendation on the way forward,” said the administrator.
He disclosed that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is already investigating the programme.
