2 IEBC commissioners, CEO injured in Bomas chaos, Chebukati says

By , K24 Digital
On Mon, 15 Aug, 2022 18:33 | 2 mins read
IEBC CEO Hussein Marjan. PHOTO/Courtesy
IEBC CEO Hussein Marjan. PHOTO/Courtesy

Two commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the CEO have reportedly been injured in the chaos that erupted at Bomas of Kenya on Monday, August 15, 2022.

IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati said the three officials are receiving treatment in hospital.

Chebukati made the revelations while announcing the presidential results on Monday evening.

"We have walked the journey of ensuring Kenyans get free, fair and credible elections. It's not been an easy journey. Right now two of my commissioners and the CEO are injured; we have staff who have been profiled. There is a staff member who disappeared while on duty. We have staff who have been arbitrarily arrested for no reason and I don't know where they are at the moment," Chebukati said.

"We have a constitutional duty to perform and that is why I stand before you here today despite intimidation and harassment. I took an oath of office to serve this country and I have done my duty in accordance with the constitution and the laws of the land."

Chaos erupted at the national tallying centre shortly after four commissioners disowned the presidential results announced by Chebukati, where Kenya Kwanza flag bearer Wiliam Ruto was declared winner of the August 9 polls.

Speaking to members of the press at Serena Hotel, the commissioners led by Vice-Chairperson Juliana Cherera cited what they termed as 'opaqueness' of the electoral process, as grounds for rejecting the final tally.

"We have done the 2022 general election in the most efficient manner. We have ensured that all the challenges have been contained," commissioner Cherera said.

"We have made sure that we have improved the standards and we say as a fact as commissioners we have a done a good job.

"But some things need to be put out there as you can see the four of us are here and not at Bomas where the results is going to be announced because of the opaque nature of how this phase has been handled. We, therefore, cannot take ownership of this result that is going to be announced."

She encouraged Kenyans to challenge the results in court.

"Because of the same, we urge Kenyans to be peaceful because the rule of law is going to prevail," she said.

Cherera was flanked by commissioners Francis Wanderi, Irene Masit and Justus Nyangaya. All the four are new commissioners, who were appointed to IEBC in September last year.

Ruto was declared the winner of the presidential election with 7,176, 141 votes, which is 50.49 per cent of the total votes cast.

The country’s Deputy President narrowly beat Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya coalition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who garnered 48.5 per cent of the vote.

Earlier, the Raila-led coalition questioned the credibility of the poll alleging that IEBC systems had been compromised.

Raila's chief agent Saitabao Ole Kanchory claimed that the electoral body's systems were hacked, tainting the credibility of the election.

Kanchory alleged that officials of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) were involved in a 'rigging scheme'.

"We have intelligence reports that their system was penetrated and hacked and that some of the IEBC officials actually committed electoral offences and some of them ought to have been arrested if they were not arrested," Kanchory stated.

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