Governor Governor Bii Intervenes on Kenyan-Finnish Scholarship Scam
The county government of Uasin Gishu in Kenya offered scholarships to Kenyan students to study in universities in Finland. However, the parents of these students are now required to pay the remaining fees for the programme to continue.
Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim stated that the programme was run independently of county government operations by a trust, meaning that no public funds were allocated to the fund.
The programme was designed to address youth unemployment, and the programmes were tailor-made for the requirements in Finland.
To enrol in the programme, parents were required to pay six months of accommodation fees and first-semester fees, with proof of payment attached during visa applications.
The county government had reached out to Tampere University, Jvaskyla and Laurea Universities to negotiate for an extension of the fee due dates.
According to Governor Bii, the parents of students based at Jvaskyla and Laurea had over three weeks to pay the fees, as the campuses had set March 31, 2023, as the deadline.
Tampere declined to extend the February 28, 2023, deadline. The governor urged the parents to pay the fees by the stipulated deadline for their students to continue with the programme.
However, some parents of the students who are currently stranded in Finland have complained that they have already paid for six months of accommodation and first-semester fees.
They have sought an explanation from the county government as to why their children risk deportation.
Governor Bii responded to claims that a section of county government officials embezzled the funds, stating that a task force was carrying out a forensic audit to ascertain the credibility of the reports. T
he Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) was also roped in the audit in a bid to investigate the whereabouts of the fund.
The programme involved 384 students who were dispatched in four batches. Currently, the first group is the only batch that went to Finland between September 2021 and September 2022. They are situated in three Finland universities, namely Tampere University (111), Jvaskyla (25), and Laurea (66).
The programme was a well-intentioned initiative to address youth unemployment, and it is hoped that the parents of the students will meet their financial obligations to ensure its continuation.
Governor Governor Bii Intervenes on Kenyan-Finnish Scholarship Scam