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Chebukati Exits All Commissioners From IEBC Official WhatsApp Group

SK 2 years ago 2 min read

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) drama reportedly broke out when chairman Wafula Chebukati allegedly banned all commissioners from the commission’s WhatsApp group.

On August 27, reputable sources informed NTV that Chebukati made the move as the commission got ready for a titanic legal fight at the Supreme Court.

The decision came at a time when the commissioners’ relationship had grown chilly and contentious, with contact at the once-active group eventually coming to an end. Many of the commissioners were caught off guard by the move.

According to other reports, Chebukati was the group administrator due to his position and the fact that he was one of the commissioners at the electoral board with the longest tenure.

The panel was battling to maintain cohesion while presiding over a fiercely contested presidential election, and the announcement of William Ruto as the winner-elect was the commission’s ultimate setback.

Four commissioners distanced themselves from the exercise’s outcomes, denying the findings at a concurrent press conference, and made it obvious that the procedure was secretive and solely conducted by Chebukati, in flagrant violation of the constitution.

The commissioners Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, Justus Nyangaya, and Irene Masit refuted Chebukati’s assertions and brought up important questions about the chairman of the IEBC’s conduct in relation to the just-completed elections on August 9.

We wish to categorically state that from his statement, the chairman Mr Chebukati appears to have misconstrued his role and that of the commissioners and further misunderstood his Constitutional and legal mandate to verify results by the Commission to mean what he vaguely characterized as ‘moderation’ of those results,” Cherera slammed.

“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,” noted the commissioners in their statement.