Parents storm governor's office over Canada, Finland scholarships and demand refund of millions

Hundreds of enraged parents who were affected by the controversial Finland and Canadian education airlift programme stormed the Uasin Gishu County office at Kapseret on Monday demanding a refund of the money paid to have their children study abroad.

The parents, who were accompanied by their children, also demanded an audience with Governor Jonathan Bii who, however, reportedly sneaked out of the venue after learning of their arrival.

The governor, who was having a meeting, ended it prematurely and left the venue as the protesting group demanded word from him over the matter.

They complained that they made payments through the county to facilitate their children to pursue studies in Western countries, but a year down the line, nothing has been forthcoming.

The parents, who were accompanied by their children, got into the meeting venue, demanding a refund of their money. They accused the county government of playing games with them.

Police were called in to control irate parents and the youths who carried placards.

They said that either they get their money back of the devolution conference set to be hosted by the Uasin Gishu county government next month be postponed.

Parents locked the police and county enforcement officers outside the gate, insisting they would only leave after the governor addresses them.

The governor and his deputy John Barorot avoided addressing the parents, and the media and sneaked out of the venue.

The parents called on President William Ruto to intervene and ensure the county administration pays back their money. They termed the whole process meant to airlift their children to study in Finland and Canada as a sham.

Brian Kimutai, a student who resigned from his job and applied to be part of the programme, stated that apart from the financial implications, he has faced an emotional beating. "The county government has messed up our lives," said Kimutai.

He added: "With hopes of studying abroad, I made the difficult decision to resign from my job. However, these dreams turned into despair when the promised enrollment to Thompson Rivers University in Canada failed to materialize. I have undergone depression and had uncomfortable conversations with my parents, fully aware of the sacrifices they have made to support me this far, including fundraising and selling their lands."

Benjamin Chebosom said he had deferred his university studies at the Presbyterian University even after paying the required fees only for the airlift programme to fail.

"This programme initially seemed promising, and we believed we were on the path to realizing our dreams. We were given only two weeks to pay Sh1.2 million fees. The stringent deadline left many parents with no choice but to sell their assets at a throw-away price. Despite all that, we have been left stranded. Even worse, there has been no communication from the people who received our payments," according to Chebosom who said he now works at a club in Eldoret town.

He added: "We entrusted our funds to the trustees hoping for a better future and education. However, our hopes have been dashed, leaving us devastated and uncertain about our future."

Chebosom said most affected students are experiencing depression because of the programme that has left many parents poor.

David Saina, one of the affected parents, said the county had advertised for an opportunity for students to study and work abroad, and like many other parents, he advised his son to apply for the opportunity promising to support him.

"We were given short notice, and we were instructed to pay Sh950, 000 fee for the various courses in various universities. I paid the amount for my son to join Thompson Rivers University (TRU). Since August 2022, nothing has been done. We have been promised that the students will go for medicals, biometrics and the launching of the visa but these have been empty promises," he said.

Saina said that the parents have been suffering in silence over the months and that they have decided to seek the intervention of the media since no one has been advocating for them.

Amon Sawe said he sold his land, and paid the fee through the account given by the county officials with the hope that his child would join TRU.

"To date, we have not received any school acceptance letter, and all I do now is counsel my son, who is stressed. We feel we have been duped by the very county government we believed was acting in good faith," said Sawe.

The parents said they are no longer interested in having their children travel through the county government airlift programme and instead want a refund of the millions they paid.

Efforts to reach Mr Bii for comment were futile despite having called for a media briefing earlier in the afternoon.

Through his media team, the county chief invited all media houses for a briefing at around 3 pm. However, more than two hours later, the governor did not show up.