4 IEBC Commissioners Were Collaborating With Officials In Raila Odinga’s Union
A special commission formed to investigate the 4 commissioners of the Independent Electoral Commission in Kenya IEBC, has been told that the commissioners were collaborating with high level officials in the government, and the director general of Raila Odinga’s Azimio alliance, Raphael Tuju to force the second round of the general election.
The commissioners are being investigated due to their conduct after rejecting the results of the presidential election that gave victory to William Ruto, as announced by IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati.
The commission has been told that the meeting of the four IEBC commissioners to reject the results of the August presidential election, which they organized at the Serena hotel in Nairobi, was paid for by people who had great influence in the government and in the alliance of former presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
Bigwigs in Raila Odinga’s coalition were meeting with IEBC commissioners
Similarly, they were paid for the hotel where they were staying and were holding meetings with the director general of Raila Odinga’s Azimio coalition, Raphael Tuju and KANU party secretary general Nick Salat. KANU is a party in the Azimio coalition.
The CCTV video shows commissioners Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, Justus Nyang’aya and Irene Masit entering the hotel where they were staying, using the back door where cars are parked.
An employee of the hotel, Simon Ngila, told the commission of inquiry that he had received instructions not to follow up further on their credentials.
The commission has been told that the press conference at the Serena hotel was paid for by a man named Edwin Ng’ong’a Ongwe, before paying for the hotel, and that the payment was made at two o’clock in the night, the day the official results of the presidential elections were announced.
The commissioners were hidden in the hotel and paid off
Ongwe, refused to speak to the people who were scheduled to address the press, and told the hotel staff that they were important people before the IEBC commissioners appeared and addressed the press opposing the election results announced by the IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati.
Hotel records show that Tuju and Nick Salat were visiting the commissioners at the hotel. The cars of the commissioners given by IEBC were seen in the hotel where they were staying
The attorneys of the commissioners, however, have expressed their anger at the move to release a video of the commissioners to show their behavior and even the discussion that occurred during the session.
IEBC director general Marjan Marjan, has told the investigation commission that two of the four commissioners being investigated; Irene Marsit and
2 commissioners among them had the duty of care while announcing the results
Francis Wanderi had been assigned the task of managing security at the Bomas hall.
Violence occurred, some people were seen with clubs and questions were asked how security officers allowed them to enter the hall with clubs.
Marjan has also said that he was shocked to see four commissioners addressing journalists at the Serena hotel and dissociating themselves from the results of the presidential vote, when they had participated in every step of summarizing the results, until the last minute, when the winner was known, the results showing that there was a difference of 233,000 votes between Dr. William Ruto and Raila Odinga.
Marjan told the commission that the four commissioners wanted the commission to announce that there was no winner, so that the second round of the election could be held, but the chairman refused and said he would announce the results as they were.
The hearings will continue next year.
