On Thursday, November 24, opposition leader Raila Odinga came to the defense of four commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The four including IEBC vice chairperson Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, Justus Nyag’anya, and Irene Masit are facing an ouster for rejecting the August 9, presidential results.
Raila who was addressing journalists in Nairobi termed the removal process of the four break-away commissioners as ‘vindictive and vile’ adding that it is being politically done.
According to the former premier, no commissioner was found to have committed any electoral offenses during the hearing of Azimio’s poll petition.
“This probe is politically motivated; it is a continuation of the witch-hunt mission that Ruto is on. We advise the commissioners to boycott it in the interest of constitutionalism and rule of law,” Raila said.
But in a quick rejoinder, President William Ruto hit out at Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party presidential candidate Raila Odinga for defending the four embattled commissioners.
While terming Raila as the lord of impunity, the Head of State on Friday, November 25, accused Raila of destroying oversight institutions through the handshake.
Ruto, further asked the veteran politician to allow the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) of the National Assembly to hold the four commissioners to account.
He said the four IEBC commissioners wanted to put the nation in danger by subverting the democratic will of the majority of Kenyans.
“The lords of impunity, who destroyed oversight institutions using the handshake fraud, should allow parliament to hold rogue officials who put the nation in danger by subverting the democratic will of the people to be held to account. The new order is rule of law not wishes of big men,” Ruto said in a statement.
