IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati failed a simple integrity test and ultimately exposed himself as being inclined to the side of William Ruto instead of being a neutral referee.
The whole drama started last month when Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) wrote a protest letter to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) over the inclusion of the two Cabinet secretaries into multi-agency team planning for a free, fair and transparent general election.
In the letter dated October 29th, UDA demanded that Interior CS Fred Matiang’i and Joe Mucheru removed from the team since they are openly campaigning for Raila’s candidature.
Through its secretary general Veronica Maina, UDA demanded the electoral body to stop the CSs from meddling in the election preparations and instead take charge of the exercise as per the law.
Maina said it was wrong and dangerous for IEBC to allow Matiang’i to dictate to it how to prepare for the election when it is their constitutional mandate to carry out elections.
“Elections are a democratic process that has nothing to do with government functionaries. Article 81 of the Constitution is clear that free, fair and credible elections are administered in an impartial manner and free from intimidation and improper influence,” UDA said.
UDA accused the CSs of violating the Constitution by being partisan despite the role the two ministries are supposed to play in the preparation of the election hence should resign.
“The two CSs have been acting in a blatant manner yet the two ministries they head form a core part in providing support services in the coordination of next year’s General Election,” she said.
Responding to UDA in a letter dated November 5th 2021, Chebukati asked Cabinet Secretaries to keep off the 2022 politics saying their neutrality would be diminished by them associating with either side of the divide.
IEBC chairman maintained that the law prohibits state officers and public officers from engaging in politics.
“There is need for all state officers and public officers to uphold political neutrality. That statutory provision no doubt falls foul of the constitutional underpins under Chapter Six of Constitution,” Chebukati said in the November 5th letter to UDA which sought his clarification on the subject.
Now here is how Chebukati fell for the trap…. In 2017, ODM complained to IEBC about Cabinet Secretaries engaging in politics and Chebukati dismissed them and said there was nothing wrong with that.
In 2017 Chebukati said Cabinet Secretaries are free to campaign for UhuRuto, in 2021 Chebukati says it’s wrong for CS to campaign for Raila.
Chebukati’s contradicting statements are now haunting him – with many now labelling him Ruto sympathizer.
ODM Director of Communications Philip Etale was quick point out that Chebukati’s contradicting statements is poetic justice.
Chebukati… pic.twitter.com/UqdUbPYirJ
— Philip Etale (@EtalePhilip) November 8, 2021
Some ODM politicians have been demanding that Wafula Chebukati should exit IEBC before the next general election in 2022.
Led by ODM chairman John Mbadi, Homa Bay Woman Rep Gladys Wanga, Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi and Kisumu Senator Fred Outa, the leaders said they wanted a free and fair election which they stressed Chebukati can’t guarantee.
The politicians said they had lost confidence in IEBC over a range of issues, including starting the procurement process of the new Kenya Integrated Electoral Management System (Kiems) without the polls body being fully constituted.
They told Chebukati to wait for Parliament to approve the names of the four new commissioners before going on with such crucial processes.
The ODM politicians made the demands on August 13th 2021 during the burial of Senator Moses Kajwang’s father David Ajwang’.
Calls for Chebukati to exit IEBC were recently raised by Nyeri Town MP Wambugu Ngunjiri who claimed the electoral body mismanaged Kiambaa by-election.
“We can’t do the next elections with Chebukati in office. Not after what I saw in Kiambaa,” he wrote on his Facebook page on November 7th.
While criticizing the IEBC chair for copying members of international community in his reply to a letter from UDA to the commission, Wambugu said Kenya was an independent country.
“I know that Chebukati is allowed to support UDA. It’s his democratic right as a Kenyan. But what is this about him copying official letters to members of the international community? He forgot we got indepedence?” Wambugu posed.
Related: Strange Reason Why Raila Wants “Unclean” Chebukati To Stay At IEBC
