Senator Mandago Freed

Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and two of his co-accused have been released on a bond of Ksh.2 million shillings with a surety of the same amount or a cash bail of Ksh.500,000.

While appearing before the Nakuru court on Thursday, Senior Principal Magistrate Alloyce Ndege ruled that the three return at a later date for plea-taking.

The Senator is among three others in the spotlight over the Finland and Canada Overseas Education Programme, which has been mired in scandal.

The three include ex-officials Joseph Maritim (1st respondent), Meshack Rono (2nd respondent), and Joshua Lelei (3rd respondent).

Maritim, who was a no-show at the hearing because he is currently out of the country, still has an arrest warrant against him.

Sam Yego, Maritim’s lawyer, has requested that the bond terms also apply to his client and that the arrest warrant be lifted.

“My client is not a fugitive, he was not summoned to record a statement, neither was he informed to appear in court today,” he argued.

“I have explained why he is in Canada and he went there way before investigations commenced. As to why he is singled out among the four accused persons for a warrant of arrest I do not understand.”

They are accused of conspiring to steal Ksh.1.1 billion from a Kenya Commercial Bank account in Eldoret registered under the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund, which was intended for overseas university fees for scholarship students.

After appearing before the DCI on Wednesday, the Senator was grilled before being transferred to the Central Police Station in Nakuru East on Wednesday evening, where he spent the night.