Three former commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) were frustrated and forced to quit their plum jobs at the electoral body, Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni claims.
In a recent interview with a local news outlet, Kioni said the Kenya Kwanza administration was determined to kick out the commissioners who disowned the presidential results announced by outgoing IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati on August 15, 2022, from day one.
Former IEBC Vice-chairperson Juliana Cherara, and commissioners Irene Masit, Francis Wanderi and Justus Nyang’aya distanced themselves from the results, claiming the final tallying of the results was opaque.
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Kioni now claims that Cherara, Wanderi and Nyang'aya were mistreated and forced to deliver their resignation letters to President William Ruto's official residence at State House in person, after leaving IEBC last year.
"I sympathised with these commissioners from day one. The Executive decided to kick them out. They called and told me 'secretary-general this is difficult for us we did our resignation letters and they have not been received'. They had to take them to State House as nobody else in the system was receiving the letters.
"Can you imagine yourself taking a letter to State House, and that's when it's picked? They were mistreated completely?" Kioni lamented.
Kioni alleged that the tribunal formed to probe the conduct of the four commissioners was compromised, and that's the reason three out of the four commissioners resigned and declined to appear before the tribunal for the hearing of allegations against them, a process he termed as costly.
"If you look at Cherera, whom I met after this debacle, she is not the one you see on camera. She's a young lady who is passionate about serving the country.
"You're not going to find her with a bag of millions from which she can pay her lawyers. Some of us, when we are faced with such tribulations, quickly fold and choose to focus on our family," Kioni said.
Out of the four commissioners, only commissioner Massit appeared before the tribunal that concluded its hearing this week.
Unlike the rest, Massit did not resign and was represented before Justice Aggrey Muchelule-led tribunal by renowned city lawyer Donald Kipkorir.
Massit has denied all allegations that she was compromised to side with Azimio la Umoja- One Kenya coalition in the last general election.
