“Chebukati Secretely Printed Extra Result Forms” Cherera Claims In Her Affidavit

Juliana Cherera, vice chair of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), has leveled serious accusations against Wafula Chebukati. She said that Chebukati obstructed the will of the people during the August elections.

She alleged, among other things, that Chebukati produced a second batch of results transmission forms in private without consulting other commissioners, causing a situation that was addressed days before the elections.

According to Cherera, she and colleague commissioner Francis Wanderi were in Greece to observe the ballot-printing process when they learned that Chebukati had covertly authorized Lykos (Hellas) SA to produce two sets of forms 34A.

“I discovered that when I visited the firm together with the representatives of the presidential candidates. All along, the Commission had always been aware that only one Form 34A was in be used for recording the presidential results at the polling centres.

“However, on July 21 2022 when commissioner Wanderi and I visited Lykos Hellas to inspect the printing of Presidential Ballot Papers, we were informed that orders had been given for the printing of two sets of Forms 34A, Form 1 of 2 and Form 2 of 2,” she lamented.
Transparency issues and the changing of Returning Officers
A “pattern of constant and continual lack of transparency by Wafula Chebukati” was also shown by Cherera.

She accused Chebukati of administering the commission in an autocratic manner, including supervising the transfers of returning officers without seeking input from other commissioners.

The dissenting commissioners Justus Nyang’aya, Irene Masit, and Francis Wanderi made notice of the trend as soon as they joined the commission, the IEBC deputy chair said.