The four estranged Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners, namely Vice Chair Juliana Cherera and commissioners Francis Wanderi, Irene Masit, and Justus Nyang’aya, have refuted claims by Wafula Chebukati’s that they wanted the presidential results moderated to effect a re-run.
The four commissioners who disputed the presidential results released by Chebukati, accused the chairman of causing conflict within the commission.
According to the quartet, Chebukati conducted his mandate unlawfully against the laws that govern the land.
“It is unknown how this decision arrived and with whom the Chairman consulted as it came as a shock and was communicated without a sheer thread of consultation, meeting and/or agreement with the Commissioners of the Commission as required by the Act,” their statement reads in part.
The commissioners further clarified that they asked Chebukati to carry out a proper verification of the results and not to moderate the results as he had claimed earlier in a press release.
According to the commissioners despite the concerns raised by them Chebukati went ahead to unilaterally declare the results without any plenary verification whatsoever by all the commissioners.
“The chairman went ahead to unilaterally declare the results without any plenary verification whatsoever by all the commissioners and/or their participation as mandated by the Constitution and electoral laws. His actions and conduct were unorthodox and turned the commission into a one-man show circus, in an attempt to subvert the Constitution, electoral laws, and the will of the people,” they added.
On Wednesday, Chebukati accused the four commissioners of demanding that he moderates the results to create room for a re-run.
Chebukati has since suspended governor polls in Kakamega and Mombasa Counties and Member of Parliament (MP) contests in Kitui Rural, Kalicheba and Rongai constituencies.
He also suspended Member of County Assembly (MCA) polls in Kwa Njenga in Nairobi and Meru County’s Nyaki West ward.
The said contests were initially set to be held on August 9 but were later pushed to August 23 owing to errors in the ballot papers.