Mercy Chebet Tarus is the name of the girl in a viral video, fiercely lecturing a section of Uasin Gishu leaders for matters surrounding scholarships.
On August 8, Mercy confronted the said leaders in a meeting that had been organized to chat about the way forward for students affected by the ongoing Finland and Canada scholarships that have been rocked with mismanagement of funds.
She stood her ground noting that parents are suffering after giving out money for what they felt was a great county initiative.
They are now in depression, according to the account she gave in the viral video.
The brave lady impressed KOT who agreed with her sentiments.
Mercy is revealing details of who she is.
She graduated from Kabarak University.
Currently, she works as a hairdresser.
She also sells porridge to make ends meet.
Ms Tarus is a poet, with poems about mental health.
She has two other siblings.
Mercy says that she is in a serious relationship.
Her fierce character was realized early in life when she stood up for her little brother who often landed in trouble in school.
Mercy joined Kenyans in Eldoret on Wednesday for a street protest, calling for refunds to those who paid for the said scholarships.
"I was trying to search for a better life, opportunities that are found there,"
Why did she and others part with money for scholarships?
"We were told that it would be easier for us to go to Canada and Finland if we used the county. We would not be asked for bank statements. They said they would provide us with a cover, and a blanket, and they would be like a mother to us. So that is why we trusted the county government and hurried to contribute the money,"
"They told us to hurry up as we were given two weeks to go and organize our financial affairs and bring the money," she told of the events leading to the scam.
Mercy said that parents trusted the county leadership; "But then when it reached time for accountability they decided they are now not going to be involved with this program,".
On the flip side, EACC is investigating how Sh837 million raised by parents to sponsor their kid's education abroad was spent.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) assured Kenyans that the probe into the Finland scholarship saga is ongoing.
This comes after a section of Kenyans took to social media to question what the EACC was doing about the matter.
EACC Director of Communications Eric Ngumbi told the Star on Tuesday that they are finalising the probe on the matter.
"The EACC being fully aware of the immense public interest and need for expeditious justice in this matter, has prioritized the investigation that commenced in March 2023," Ngumbi said.
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