President William Ruto has made chilling revelations of orchestrated plans to have the former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati abducted and murdered.
While addressing members of the Constitutional Commissions and Independent Offices at State House, Nairobi yesterday, President Ruto said the scheme was plotted by “senior state officials” to paralyse the commission.
The President alleged that the assassination would have subverted the will of the people before the release of the Presidential results which would have resulted to the entry of a caretaker committee to release altered results that suit individual interest.
“We all know there was a direct attempt to abduct Wafula Chebukati and murder him so that the commission would be paralysed or a compliant commission takes over and subvert the people’s sovereignty… It was a hard, cold and lonely time. The threats were dire, the promised rewards lavish and the pressure relentless” claimed President Ruto.
President Ruto argued that the plans were well orchestrated and instituted through a political mechanism to infiltrate the autonomous constitutional bodies such as the IEBC in which the masterminds resorted to introduce ‘questionable’ commissioners.
The Head of State was referring to ex-IEBC vice chairperson Juliana Cherera, commissioners Francis Wanderi, Justus Nyang’aya and Irene Masit who is currently fighting to prove her innocence before a committee appointed by President Ruto after disowning the presidential results announced by Chebukati.
However, during an interview with one of the local media stations, lawyer Danstan Omari quashed President William Ruto’s allegations of a possible plot to kill Chebukati citing it as politics that would well suit a political rally audience.
“The President got it right but the message was not to be done the way he did it. It could have been done at a political rally in Kamukunji or elsewhere,” observed Omari.
The lawyer asked the President and the entire political divide to focus on lowering the cost of living and service delivery to Kenyans who voted for them.
Omari’s sentiments were in reference to the recent homecoming ceremony held for Information Communication and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo, barely two days after.
The President’s delegation preached national healing and common purpose of peace which Omari termed as of not much importance to Kenyans.
Yesterday, Chebukati handed over his exit report to President Ruto together with commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye whose terms came to an end after serving in the commission for six non-renewable terms.
During his term in office, Chebukati has facilitated three general elections; 2013,2017 and the previously held 2022 general elections.