In December 2022, President William Ruto suspended the rebel IEBC commissioners who disputed the 2022 presidential elections.
The four Juliana Cherera (former vice chairperson), Irene Masit Francis Wanderi, and Justus Nyang’aya distanced themselves from the official presidential results announced by Chairman Wafula Chebukati over what they termed as the “opaque nature” of the results.
As such, President William Ruto formed a tribunal to investigate the conduct of the four during the 2022 presidential elections.
This saw three of the commissioner preferring to resign than facing the tribunal which was chaired by Court of Appeal judge Aggrey Muchelule.
In its finding, the tribunal said that the evidence presented proved beyond any reasonable doubts that Masit violated the Constitution and had gross misconduct during the 2022 elections.
“Having considered all the evidence tendered, the tribunal finds that the allegations on serious violation of the constitution and the law and gross misconduct against Commissioner Irene Masit have been proved to the required standard,
As such, the tribunal which began its hearing on December 20 asked Kenya’s President William Ruto to fire Masit from office.
In a report on Monday, February 27, tribunal chairperson Justice Aggrey Muchelule said that in August 2022 Masit agreed to a proposal to moderate the 2022 presidential results in favour of Raila Odinga.
“Now therefore, this tribunal recommends … that Commissioner Irene Cherop Masit be removed from office as a member of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission,” Muchelule said.
Receiving the report of the tribunal appointed to consider the petition for removal from office of Cherera Four’ at State House, the Head of State asked public servants to be professional and apolitical while discharging their mandate.
