Finland scandal: County officials paid allowances to travel abroad

Joel Chelule testifies at a Nakuru court on July 1, 2024. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Three current and former officials from Uasin Gishu County received hefty allowances from the Overseas Education Fund programme, a court heard on July 2, 2024.

Joel Chelule, chairperson of the Uasin Gishu County Revolving Fund, along with vice chairperson Susan Keino and former member Loice Jelimo, admitted to receiving these allowances in their testimonies.

But they denied being members of the fund responsible for the misappropriation of Sh1.1 billion intended for the Finland Education Programme. The three were testifying in a case where Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, Meshack Rono, and Joshua Lelei face charges of abuse of office, conspiracy to steal, and embezzling the Sh1.1 billion meant for funding overseas scholarships for approximately 200 students.

Although Chelule denied chairing the trust that was allegedly formed in 2021, he admitted before Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ndege that he received per diem of Sh70,000 for travel to Finland.

“I travelled with Mandago, then the governor, in 2021, where he signed a memorandum of understanding with three universities concerning the programme,” he testified.

Under questioning by defense lawyers Stephen Kibungei and Fidel Limo, Chelule was unable to provide a clear explanation or admit that he travelled in his capacity as the chair of the trustee.

When asked about his role during the nine-day trip from August 12 to August 21, 2021, Chelule said that he eventually realised he had no designated role, despite spending over Sh700,000 on the trip.

“At first, I thought I was part of the delegation, being a county official. But in the end, and to be honest, I do not know why I travelled to Finland,” he answered.

Chelule claimed that he and his colleagues discovered they had been listed as trustees, with their names used to open a bank account and their signatures forged during a meeting on October 3, 2022.

But he admitted that on the same day he chaired the purported trustee meeting, he also received Sh36,000 for facilitation. “Are you telling this court that you accepted facilitation for being the chair of a trustee you denounced?” asked Limo.

“I attended a meeting and was entitled to facilitation,” he replied.

Jelimo said that her signature on the minutes of April 23, 2021, which purportedly appointed her as a trustee and opened the overseas account, was forged.

But she admitted receiving at least Sh33,000 during the October meeting, despite acknowledging that her contract as a board member of the revolving fund ended on May 14, 2022. 

Keino said that she was paid an allowance when she traveled to Finland on May 15, 2022, the day after her contract had expired. She added that she was unsure about her role during the trip. The hearing continues today.