Uasin Gishu County leaders are now accusing some parents of children studying in Finland and Canada of causing problems for the county’s overseas study program.
Governor Jonathan Bii, his Deputy John Barorot, and Senator Jackson Mandago, along with other leaders, alleged that around 322 parents were undermining the airlift program by not settling the arrears they owe.
The leaders claimed that an amount of Sh96.6 million was used from the Uasin Gishu County Overseas Trust account to clear fee arrears for students whose classes were canceled. The students were also facing the risk of deportation.
They urged these parents to refund the money to the Trust account in order to reimburse others who have been protesting and demanding a refund of the funds they spent on the failed airlift program.
Senator Mandago expressed disappointment at parents who had promised to repay the advances they received but were now preparing to attend their children’s graduation ceremonies abroad. Meanwhile, some parents who had already paid fees were left in distress as their children were unable to travel due to a lack of funds in the overseas account.
“It is unfortunate to see parents who committed to repay the advances they received, preparing themselves to attend the graduation ceremonies of their children abroad. Some parents here are languishing in pain having paid fees while their children are yet to travel,” said Mandago.
Let them do the honourable thing and pay back as soon as possible,” added Mandago.
Deficit in the bank account
Governor Bii disclosed that the current balance in the bank account is only Sh1.8 million. There is therefore a deficit of approximately Sh140 million.
The leaders pointed out that there were no binding agreements specifying how the indebted parents would repay the money.
Moreover, students studying at Tampere University are no longer using the county trust account to pay their fees. This is after the university terminated its cooperation with the county.
The parents who have been protesting against the failed program however claim that they were not involved in the decision to use their children’s fees to settle arrears for other students in Finland.
Gilbert Chepkong’a, Chair of the Uasin Gishu County Assembly ad-hoc committee, threatened to make public the names of parents who received school fee advances but failed to repay the funds. He said he is intending to expose them for not fulfilling their repayment obligations.
Re-engineering the airlift program
Governor Bii and Deputy Governor Barorot have pledged to re-engineer the program to address the issues that led to the current backlog. They also revealed that 121 parents have opted out of the program and applied for refunds, totaling Sh68 million.
In response to the unfolding situation, the county leadership has scheduled a meeting with the affected parents on August 3 and 4.
The overseas education program was initiated by Senator Jackson Mandago while he was serving his second term as governor. The program facilitated students’ studies in Canada and Finland under the airlift program.
Over 900 students joined the program, and 322 secured places in Finnish and Canadian universities. The first cohort of students left the country in 2021 to study various programs.
The parents were required to pay fees into the Overseas Trust Account at KCB. The funds would only be remitted to the respective universities after all parents contributed. The total amount received from parents for this initiative, according to the EACC, was Sh838 million.
