Former Uasin Gishu County Executive Committee Member for Education, Joseph Kurgat, was yesterday put to task over his involvement in the Sh1.1 billion Finland and Canada education programme.

Initially, Kurgat, who testified before Nakuru Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ndege, denied any involvement in the programme.

He told the court that he became aware of the programme in April 2022. However, he admitted to writing a letter to his then Chief Officer, Joseph Maritim, in August 2022, seeking clarification on what the programme entailed.

“The programme was being run under my department but by my Chief Officer. I was not involved in its administration; it was independent,” he testified.

Kurgat appeared as witness number 41 in a case where Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, along with current and former county officials Meshack Rono and Joshua Lelei, are charged with embezzling the funds.

According to him, those involved were Maritim, Rono, Lelei, and other county officials, namely Joel Ruto and Tony Tanui, all under his department.

Kurgat said he became interested in the programme at its initial stages when parents began paying fees.

However, after complaints were raised through his office, he called Maritim five times before writing a letter on 3 August 2022, requesting information about the programme.

“I wrote another letter on 22 August 2022. After he failed to reply, I issued a letter of insubordination on 25 August 2022, asking him to explain why serious action should not be taken against him,” he testified.

He said he copied the letter to the then County Secretary but received no response.

Kurgat stated that he received a letter from the current governor, Jonathan Bii, on 16 September 2022, regarding a petition filed by parents.

In his response, he informed the governor that he had no knowledge of the programme and was not responsible for its administration. Following this, an external audit was commissioned to investigate the matter.

He testified that he gave the same response to the County Assembly on 28 January 2023.

“I stated that I was not running the programme, it was neither discussed nor approved by the Cabinet, I was not privy to the opening of the bank account where parents deposited money, and I was also unaware of the fees each student was required to pay,” he testified.

However, during cross-examination by lawyer Elijah Kibet, Kurgat admitted that he had knowledge of the programme as far back as 2021.

A video was played in court showing Kurgat giving a press briefing in September 2021, where he stated that the county had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Finnish embassy.

Furthermore, Kurgat admitted that his son, Vincent Kiptoo, was in Canada and had pursued his studies under the airlift programme. However, he clarified that he enrolled his son in his capacity as a parent, not as the CEC.

Bank statements presented in court showed that he made the first deposit for his son’s fees in February 2022—a month in which he had earlier claimed he was unaware of the programme.

“Are you telling this court that you paid fees for your son in a programme you were unaware of?” asked Kibet.

“I did not know all the details of the programme; I acted on limited information,” he testified.

Kurgat was also questioned about his involvement in amending the County Education Revolving Act to include overseas programmes.

He denied any participation, but in a video clip played in court, he was heard explaining that the county had expanded its programme for youth to include overseas opportunities.

“I am the one in the video. I do not recall the Act, but the one I was involved in never advanced to its final stage,” he testified.

“I put it to you that you are a smooth liar because you denied knowledge of the programme, yet your son is a beneficiary, and you also lied about not participating in the amendment process,” stated Kibet.

“I am not lying. I had limited information about the programme, which is why I wrote multiple times to Maritim seeking clarification,” he testified.