A Nakuru court has acquitted Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and his co-accused of all charges in the long-running Ksh 1.1 billion Finland scholarship case.
In a landmark ruling delivered on Thursday, July 23, 2026, Senior Principal Magistrate Alloyce Ndege dismissed all ten counts — including conspiracy to commit felony, stealing, abuse of office, and forgery — citing insufficient evidence to meet the legal threshold of proof beyond reasonable doubt.
“The prosecution has failed to establish a prima facie case in any of the charges herein. It shall be of no use to put them to their defence as that shall mean shifting the onus of proving their innocence to them… I thus hereby dismiss all the charges against the accused persons pursuant to Section 210 of the Criminal Procedure Code and consequently acquit all of them,” the magistrate ruled.
What Mandago said after acquital in Ksh 1.1 billion Finland scholarship case
Mandago, flanked by hundreds of supporters outside the court, welcomed the verdict as a long-overdue vindication after what he described as “four years of painful journey” shuttling between his county and Nakuru for court sessions.
He directly blamed Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii for weaponising the overseas education initiative for political gain. Mandago defended the programme as a well-intentioned effort to open global educational opportunities for local students, asserting that political interference derailed its potential — potentially depriving over 2,000 students of the chance to study abroad.
“The programme was never meant to be a political football,” Mandago said. “Had it continued as planned, we’d have seen thousands of our youth in Finland and other countries by now.”
In the same breath, the senator called on the current county administration to resurrect the scholarship initiative — and extend its reach to as many eligible students as possible.
He also issued a public appeal to parents and students who received funds originally allocated to other beneficiaries: “If you received funds outside the intended scope of the programme, please make arrangements to refund them.”
Though Mandago did not specify how refunds should be processed, the appeal underscores his commitment to restoring transparency and accountability to the programme.
