Home » Chebukati: I refused plan by IEBC commissioners to rig votes for Raila Odinga

Chebukati: I refused plan by IEBC commissioners to rig votes for Raila Odinga

by Enock Ndayala
Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Committee (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati was on Thursday, September 28, expected to appear before the National Dialogue Committee.

Independent Election and Boundaries Commission boss Wafula Chebukati has come out guns blazing after four fellow commissioners accused him of compromising the results of the 2022 presidential elections.

The four claimed there was opaqueness in the final tallying of results which were used to declare UDA leader William Ruto president-elect.

They also claimed Chebukati declared the results despite the four not agreeing to the same normal procedure at IEBC.

Independent Election and Boundaries Commission boss Wafula Chebukati has come out guns blazing after four fellow commissioners accused him of compromising the results of the 2022 presidential elections.
Independent Election and Boundaries Commission boss Wafula Chebukati has come out guns blazing after four fellow commissioners accused him of compromising the results of the 2022 presidential elections. Photo: IEBC/Twitter.

The IEBC boss has however accused the four of dishonesty, saying he prevented them from rigging ODM leader Raila Odinga into a presidential re-run.

In a statement to newsrooms, Chebukati said the four wanted him to manipulate the presidential election results so as to ensure no candidate attained the needed more than half of the total votes cast and force a presidential re-run.

“However, during a briefing meeting held on August 15, 2022 (moments before the declaration of presidential elections results) the four commissioners- Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, Justus Nyagan’ya, and Irene Masit demanded that the chairman (Wafula Chebukati) moderate the results for purposes of forcing a presidential election re-run contrary to their oath of office,” reads the statement seen by Kivumbi.co.ke.

Chebukati also maintained that the law bestows him the responsibility to declare the winner of presidential elections by simply adding up votes from polling stations as contained on form 34A.

He said he does not need the consent of the entire commission to make such a declaration as the national presidential returning officer.

William Ruto was declared the presidential election winner with  7,176,141 votes which is equivalent to 50.49% against Raila Odinga’s 6942,930 votes which is equivalent to 48.85%.

It thus appears the four were intentionally trying to ensure Raila’s numbers were pushed up to deny William Ruto a clear win in the first round.

According to Kenya’s 20110 constitutions, a presidential election winner has to garner more than half of the total valid votes cast.

He also has to garner more than 25% of the total presidential valid votes cast in over 24 counties.

Given that Raila Odinga had highly been favored by the outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta, many critics believe Wafula Chebukati’s version more than the four commissioners.

Interestingly, the four commissioners were brought into IEBC barely a year before the 2022 General Election, which makes many believe their intention was to help Raila win the presidency irregularly.

By forcing the election into a re-run, critics believe it would have been easier to rig Raila Odinga into the presidency because a presidential election re-run only needs a simple majority of total valid votes cast.

In an earlier story, Kivumbi.co.ke exposed the close relationship one of the commissioners, Juliana Cherara, enjoys with Raia Odinga and outgoing Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho.

Unconfirmed reports also indicate that the three other commissioners in Cherera’s camp are closely related to Raila Odinga and former Baringo Senator Gideon Moi’s political allies

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