A Nakuru Law court has granted bail to Senator Jackson Mandago and two other accused individuals involved in the Finland and Canada Scholarship scandals. The court has postponed the plea-taking for the suspects due to the escape of a fourth accused person from the country. The trio has been released on a bail bond of Ksh2 million each or an alternative option of Ksh500,000 in cash bail.
The presiding judge has ordered that the plea-taking date be determined within the next two hours and instructed the prosecution to handle the case separately, ensuring that the first accused, who is currently at large, is charged independently.
Senior Principal Magistrate Alloys Ndege emphasized, "The fact that the ruling is yet to be taken should not be a bar to bail," asserting the importance of a fair and timely legal process.
Senator Mandago and his co-accused are facing allegations of defrauding parents of more than one billion Kenyan shillings, which were collected under the pretense of sponsoring students for studies in Finland and Canada.
The lawyer representing the first accused person informed the court that his client had not been formally summoned by the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and had only learned of the arrests through social media. The DCI, on the other hand, claimed that the suspect fled the country as part of the ongoing investigations, a claim the lawyer vehemently disputed in court.
In a plea to the court, the lawyer stated, "Your Honour as an officer of this court, I have advised my client who is in Canada to come back to Kenya and face his accusers and to answer to the charges leveled against him." The lawyer requested a deferral of the first accused's case while proceeding with the hearings of the other respondents, until his client could return to the country.
Addressing the courtroom, Senior Principal Magistrate Alloys Ndege urged any aggrieved parties to appeal the ruling if necessary, rather than engaging in confrontations within the courtroom.
Meanwhile, President William Ruto made a promise to Uasin Gishu residents that he would provide local scholarships for the victims of the scholarship scandal once the court proceedings conclude. The President made this commitment while addressing eager locals before attending the ongoing 8th Devolution Conference 2023 in Eldoret, which is scheduled to continue until Saturday, August 19. As the legal proceedings unfold, the scandal continues to captivate public attention, revealing the intricate details surrounding the alleged misappropriation of scholarship funds.