By Spy Uganda Correspondent
Four of the seven members of Kenya’s election body, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) have further disowned yesterday’s declaration of William Ruto as the newly elected President following the August 9 2022 general elections.
The four commissioners in a detailed statement led by vice chairperson Juliana Cherera have described the election process as “opeque” and “flawed” further calling for the removal of Wafula Chebukati from the Chairmanship of the commission.
The other commissioners dissenting from the IEBC’s final results are Francis Wanderi, Justice Nyangaya and Irene Masit.
According to the four commissioners, there were “a number of irregularities and election malpractices, some of which with likelihood of affecting the credibility of the electoral process.”
“When the transmission and tallying of the results started on August the 9th, we noticed immediate questions that have not been answered. Key among them was the opacity and lack of transparency with which Chairman Wafula Chebukati of the IEBC conducted the commissions business,” the commissioners revealed.
Adding that “we, the commissioners assembled here, who constitute the majority of the commission have decided to speak up because our conscience cannot allow us to validate a flawed process.
“Mr. Chebukati has kept us from accessing any significant information about the Presidential election results and in particular the tallying of those results. So, we have not been involved at all in verifying the data that is being uploaded into the IEBC systems.”
The commissioners further alleged that Chebukati excluded them from the most important decisions of the process including in particular the tallying and upload of the results.
“We the majority of the commission, totally reject the results as totally invalid and lacking in merit and we call upon Kenyans, to likewise demand, that Mr. Chebukati be relieved of his duties as Chairman of the IEBC Commission with immediate effect.”
Following the declaration of William Ruto as the winner yesterday evening, Cherera and her colleagues told Kenyans that the “rule of law will prevail.”
“We have an open door that people can go to court and we urge Kenyans to be peaceful because the rule of the law is going to prevail” she said while addressing the press shortly after the announcement.
Meanwhile, Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance has also alleged that the integrity of the IEBC system was been undermined.
Raila Odinga’s Chief Agent Saitabao Ole Kanchory also told the press before the announcement of the results of the presidential election that IEBC was compromised adding that that’s the reason why the Bomas was a “crime scene.”
This is after the leaders demanded to see presidential results verification form 34C for them to endorse the results and also called Azimio flagbearer Raila Odinga to come to the venue for the announcement.
Kanchory further noted that once they verify the results they will themselves rely on the results of Kenyans.
