Back to demonstrations,Finland and Canada parents declare!
“I cannot promise you that there is money to be refunded because doing
so will be lying to you.“Governor Bii
Hundreds of parents and students Monday gave a dress down to Uasin Gishu county leaders among them Governor Jonathan Bii and Senator Jackson Mandago during a highly charged and emotional engagement meeting.
Speaking at the Eldoret social hall, they demanded for refund of millions of shillings they paid to the devolved unit for the aborted
Finland and Canada airlift education programme.
The agitated parents and students drawn from six sub counties of Soy, Moiben, Keses Kapseret, Ainabkoi and Turbo anonymously agreed to disrupt the forthcoming devolution conference in the event the county will not have wired their money in their bank account before August 15 the date when much awaited five days governor’s conference is slated to start.
Some of the parents broke down in tears as they narrated how the dream of their children had been shattered after failing to travel to Canada and Finland for study since last year despite clearing all the first semester fees to the county run trust fund account.
David Kosgey, of the affected parents whose daughter was to fly to Finland for study now says he’s no longer interested in sending her to
the foreign country and wants a refund for the more than sh 1.2 million he had paid through the airlift education programme.
He accused the county leadership of letting them down by keeping mum as their children who are still stranded suffer at home with some who are contemplating to commit suicide.
“We have come here not to be told stories by the leadership of the county government of Uasin Gishu but to be refunded our money that we paid for the aborted airlift education programme,” said Kosgey.
Eunice Chelagat accused the deputy governor John Barorot who was present for tarnishing her name by claiming that she had been refunded all her money amounting to sh 650,200.
Chelagat, whose daughter was set to travel to Finland, said that she was only refunded sh 108,800 and told the deputy governor to stop
peddling lies and state the truth on the thorny issues of refund.
However, reacting to the parents and students demands, the county leaders led by the governor and Senator, dashed their hope of being refunded millions of shillings they paid to the regional government.
Mandago said that as much as they sympathize with their plight, they
have no money to refund them and asked the parents to be patient as they seek ways of resolving the matter.
“When I started this programme when I was the governor of this county, I knew it was going to transform the lives of students and their parents. I did not know that it would later turn out to be a misery to
me and students who are yet to travel in Europe for studies,” said
Mandago.
On his part Governor Bii distanced himself from the program saying
that he was the pioneer of the same as he pleaded with the parents and
students to give them time to sort out the issue.
“I cannot promise you that there is money to be refunded because doing
so will be lying to you. So just give us time so that we can see how
we will address the problem,” said Bii.
The county boss said that his hands were clean in the airlift education programme adding that he has given the EACC and DCI sleuth
to take over investigations into the alleged scandal with a view to
bring to book those who will be found culpable in the syndicate.
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