Plot to force out four ‘breakaway’ IEBC commissioners kicks off before Ruto’s swearing in
Ploy to force out four commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) who accused commission’s chairman Wafula Chebukati of manufacturing presidential results upheld by Supreme Court declaring William Ruto as the president-elect has started in earnest even before Ruto is sworn in office.
Farmers Party led by Irungu Nyakera and an affiliate party of the Kenya Kwanza coalition led by the president-elect has petitioned the National Assembly to have the four commissioners; vice chairperson Juliana Cherera and commissioners Irene Massit, Justus Nyang’aya and Francis Wanderi over what they term as gross misconduct.
According to insiders, the push to kick the four from office is being masterminded by Garissa Township Member of Parliament Aden Duale.
However, the embattled commissioners enjoy security of tenure and if the petition sails through parliament, president-elect Ruto will form a tribunal to investigate the alleged malpractices.
By the time of going to publication, when contacted, Duale did not respond to our phone calls for comment.
“Farmers Party has presented to the National Assembly, in line with Article 251 of the Constitution, a petition for the removal of four commissioners of the IEBC following the attempt by the said Commissioners to sabotage an election process as witnessed on August 15, 2022, at Bomas of Kenya.” The Farmers Party said in a quick dispatch to newsrooms.
Also, through a petition filed by Chege and Sang Company Advocates yesterday and received by the National Assembly Main Record Unit, the Farmers Party said the four commissioners were out to sabotage the will of Kenyans hence should not hold office.
The petition comes just days after Duale said despite the change of tune by the four commissioners, they will have to be held accountable for their actions which he said was almost throwing the country into crisis.
“The four commissioners should be held accountable both individually and collectively…They cannot turn on and off like a switch and expect us to just forget everything. They must face the music.” Duale said.
On August 15, 2022, a splinter faction of the four commissioners distanced themselves from the presidential election results that Chebukati announced and said publicly that they could not take ownership of the results.
They had also complained that they were sidelined in the appointment of returning officers and blind-sided on the arrival of the first batch of ballot papers.
On the other hand, Chebukati’s faction had commissioners Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu as well as IEBC Chief Executive Officer Marjan Hussein Marjan.
