Wafula Chebukati, the former Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), has declined an invitation to appear before the National Dialogue Committee.
In a statement posted on his X account, Chebukati conveyed that he, along with fellow commissioners Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu, have opted not to engage in discussions concerning matters that have already been resolved.
Chebukati suggested the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the events surrounding the 2022 general elections.
“To participate would be to betray IEBC staff who were tortured, murdered, and a reward for impunity. Instead, a Commission of Inquiry should be formed,” he noted.
The former IEBC commissioners were scheduled to submit their memoranda to the NDC on Thursday at the Bomas of Kenya.
Meanwhile, three of the infamous ‘Cherera 4’ told the National Dialogue Committee that they were compelled to resign.
Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, and Justus Nyang’aya revealed that they felt compelled to resign from their positions after President William Ruto appointed a tribunal, led by Court of Appeal Judge Aggrey Muchelule, to investigate their actions during the 2022 elections. They chose not to participate in the tribunal’s proceedings.
The fourth commissioner, Irene Masit, did appear before the tribunal, and its findings led to her removal from office, after which she also tendered her resignation.
“I want to submit that the Cherera four were forced to resign, it was never our intention to resign,” said Wanderi who made the presentation on behalf of the other three ex-commissioners.
Wanderi asserted that their removal from office stemmed from their scrutiny of former Chairperson Wafula Chebukati’s handling of the presidential election results declaration during the 2022 General Elections.
“We never tallied the results from the constituencies and they were tallied by a handpicked number of people who worked with the chairman,” said Wanderi.
He alleged that Professor Abdi Guliye and the commission’s CEO, Marjan Hussein Marjan, were among those “selectively chosen” to oversee the tallying process. Furthermore, Wanderi and his colleagues, Cherera, Masit, and Nyang’aya, asserted that they were denied access to Form 34C, which is the official Presidential results form.
“It was unfair for us to be forced out of the commission and we hope that will be looked into,” said Wanderi.
Cherera on her part said the challenges they faced during their tenure at the commission should not be endured by anyone else, emphasizing that they felt compelled to leave their positions.
“We want the next generation of commissioners at IEBC to be people that will be handled with the integrity they deserve and that their voice will not be shut down,” she said.
Cherara reiterated that they continue to disown the election results of 2022, emphasizing the need for an audit of the results. She explained that she resigned for the sake of the country, particularly in light of the emerging prospect of protests related to their actions and conduct.
