Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebuka has refuted allegations that the electoral body is out to sabotage the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
BBI Secretariat co-chairman Junet Mohamed on Wednesday questioned the pace at which the BBI signatures are being verified. He noted that the exercise stalled on Monday and Tuesday because “there was no internet connectivity at the Bomas of Kenya”.
“The biggest problem the BBI faces is the electoral commission. We handed the IEBC the signatures nearly a month ago and there is nothing to show for it. The exercise must be completed before the end of January. IEBC bosses surely know how Issack Hassan and his team left the commission,” the Suba East MP said.
“I want to tell them, we are not tired. We know how we removed the previous commissioners. If they want us to follow that path let them tell us.”
In response, Chebukati admitted there were internet challenges but dismissed the accusations of sabotage as “completely false”.
“The Commission would like to state that the allegation that the Commission is sabotaging the process is not only unfortunate but also completely false. The process of signature verification is part of the IEBC’s mandate as articulated in Article 257 of the Constitution and therefore the Commission cannot sabotage it,” Chebukati said in a statement on Thursday.
“The Commission acknowledges having experienced intermittent internet connectivity challenges on the material dates at the facility occasioned by system upgrade of the bandwidth and power outages. However, the issue was formally brought to the attention of Bomas of Kenya management for quick action and the same addressed.”
Chebukati assured that the signature verification exercise is going on as expected and would be completed within the shortest time possible.
The secretariat of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) gave IEBC 16 days to complete the verification of the signatures.
