Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and his co-accused persons in the Finland/Canada scholarship scam spent Wednesday night in police custody awaiting arraignment in court on Thursday morning.

Mandago presented himself at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices in Nakuru after a warrant of arrest was issued against him for failing to appear in court for plea taking.

The legislator, along with county officials Meshack Rono, Joseph Maritim, and Joshua Lelei, are accused of conspiring to steal Ksh.1.1 billion from a Kenya Commercial Bank account in Eldoret registered under the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund, which was meant for overseas university fees for students in scholarship programme.

He was grilled by DCI officers, after which he was later in the evening transferred to the Central Police Station in Nakuru East where he is being detained.

President William Ruto also broke his silence on the scandal, which has stranded hundreds of students and left scores of parents reeling from their losses.

The Head of State, who was in Uasin Gishu on Wednesday for the start of the three-day Devolution Conference, said he was aware of the fiasco and urged anyone who may have misappropriated funds for the scholarship to initiate refunds.

"Mambo ya Finland najua tuko na matatizo, kuna wazazi wametoa pesa na pesa yao haijulikani iko wapi,"President Ruto told residents "Kama kuna mtu alikula hiyo pesa ajipange kulipa mapema ama ataingia taabani," 

"Hakuna maneno ya kubembelezana, pesa ya ngombe ya mtu ama aliuza shamba lazima arudishiwe pesa yake.”