Victims of the Ksh1 billion Finland and Canada Education Programme scandal have finally found a voice in court after Senior Counsel Katwa Kigen was allowed to represent them in the ongoing case against Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and two county officials.
Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ndege granted Kigen permission to appear for seven victims, ending months of uncertainty over their participation in the case that has left dozens of parents and students stranded after their dream to study abroad collapsed amid allegations of massive fund mismanagement.
Kigen, a senior counsel who once represented President William Ruto in the ICC case, told the court he had been instructed to act for Noah Koskei, Edward Kiptet, Milkah Sambu, Christopher Rotich, Japheth Too, Shadrack Juma, and Josephine Boss, and sought leave to participate fully in the proceedings, including cross-examining witnesses and filing submissions.
Defence lawyers Fidel Limo and Elijah Kibet, together with prosecutor Moses Macharia, did not object to his application, prompting the magistrate to grant approval.
Mandago and his co-accused, Meshack Rono and Joshua Lelei, are charged with conspiracy, theft, abuse of office, and forgery, after allegedly misappropriating funds deposited by parents and students in the county’s overseas education account.
By Mercy Kokwon
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