NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug, 15 – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati says that he has weathered the storm and conducted free and fair elections despite being insulted, threatened, and even intimidated while in the line of duty.
Chebukati who issued president-elect William Ruto with his victory certificate said that he executed his mandate as envisaged in the constitution and honored his oath to Kenyans to serve with dignity.
“We have walked the journey of ensuring that Kenyans get a free, fair, and credible election. It has not been an easy journey, right now two of my commissioners are injured and they are being treated,” he said after chaos erupted minutes before the announcement was made.
Chaos broke out at the Bomas of Kenya after a section of leaders opposed the outcome of the polls even before they were announced. the leaders accused Chebukati of failing to follow due process during the election verification process.
The poll body chairperson meanwhile expressed concern that several IEBC officials had been threatened too and some have even been reported missing during and after the polls.
“We have staff who have been profiled, there is a staff, returning officer in Embakasi West who disappeared while on duty. We have staff who have been arbitrarily arrested, for no reason, we do not know where they are. Some from this national tallying center. But we have a constitutional duty to perform, that is why I stand before you today despite intimidation, harassment,”
Chebukati expressed his pride alongside his team for laying the foundation that has undoubtedly strengthened election management in the country.
“This, of course, will be my last elections to preside over and for those to come, we have prepared for you what the constitution envisaged for us, an independent electoral commission. I want to thank the staff of IEBC, the soldiers who braved insults and harassment and delivered right from the constituencies to the counties and up to the national tallying centers,”
Earlier in the day, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) vice chairperson Juliana Cherera, alongside commissioner, Justus Nyang’aya, Francis Wanderi, and Irene Masit distanced themselves from the just concluded presidential elections saying that they can not take ownership for the outcome.
In a statement read by Cherera on behalf of the other commissioners at Serena hotel they termed the process as ‘opaque in nature’.
“As you can see the four of us are here and not the Bomas of Kenya where the results are going to be announced because of the opaque nature of how this phase has been handled, we, therefore, can not take ownership of the results that are going to be announced,” she said.
She further said that those that do not agree with the outcome of the elections can seek legal redress.
“However we have an open door that people can go to court and because of the same we urge Kenyans to be peaceful because the rule of the law is going to prevail,”
The four commissioners hailed their tenure at the commission thus far saying that they have expected their mandate as envisaged by the constitution.
Cherera alongside the other commissioners refused to take questions from the journalists saying that they would issue a detailed report at a later date.
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