Mercy Tarus, went viral when she courageously confronted Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii, Senator Jackson Mandago, and Deputy Governor John Barorot over the failed Finland and Canada study programme.
The Kabarak University graduate was bitter at the leaders for lying to the very people that saw them get the positions they are currently holding.
She was also irked that they arrived late for the meeting that was intended to address the study programme issue, which saw parents suffer millions of losses. According to her some of the parents and students were suffering from depression and other illnesses yet leaders had kept them waiting for long.
“Do you know any antidepressants? You don’t,” the 24-year old questioned the leaders. “Just for your information’s sake go and google medicine for depression.”
She pointed out that she schooled with the leader’s children, who were now earning good money abroad yet she is still struggling to make ends meet.
Mercy Tarus has since opened up after the viral incident. In an interview with a local media outlet, she revealed that she is a hairdresser and during weekends, she sells porridge and mandazis.
She added that she was not being rude to the leaders and all she wanted was for them to be accountable.
“This is highway robbery. You are stealing from us in broad daylight, and you are using the government and the power that has been given and protection to steal from us. They can come for my life but now how can you have something to live for when your dreams are being crushed by the same people you elected. I was not being rude I just wanted accountability from the leaders. I wanted to look them in the eye and have them tell us the truth,” she said.
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In a separate interview, she said that she was forced to address the congregation because the meeting was coming to an end and no one had addressed the issue of lateness.
125 students from Uasin Gishu were supposed to travel to Finland and Canada to further their studies. Mercy was one of them and she was supposed to study social work at the Nothern Lights College in Canada. They were however stranded at home after county officials failed to pay for their fees, which had been raised by their parents, in the institutions overseas.
Last month, Governor Jonathan Bii said that the county government is unable to refund the money to parents due to lack of sufficient funds.
“We are not able to refund the money demanded by parents regarding the Canada and Finland study programme becauyse the Trust account has only 1.8 million. A whopping Kshs33 million can not be accounted for,” Bii said.