Wafula Chebukati, the head of the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) has revealed the identities of those who approached him at Bomas of Kenya and asked him to influence the presidential election in favor of Raila Odinga, the leader of the Azimio la Umoja one Kenya Coalition.
Chebukati named four members of the National Security Advisory Council who intended to demand a rerun in his remarks on Monday at the unveiling of the post-election evaluation report at the Nairobi Safari Park Hotel.
According to the report, Wafula Chebukati was visited by former police chief Hillary Mutyambai, solicitor general Kennedy Ogeto, principal administrative secretary at the president’s office Kennedy Kihara, and LT. General Francis Ogolla to persuade him to moderate the outcome of the presidential election.
Despite their pleading, Chebukati remained committed to holding free and fair elections.
President William Ruto was asked by Chebukati to direct public participation in the proceedings leading up to the announcement of the results of the presidential election held on August 9, 2022.
Chebukati listed some of the assaults on the IEBC, including intimidation by security agencies, lobbying by the National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC), misinformation campaigns, and the death of a returning officer.
At the publication of the post-election evaluation report, Mr. Chebukati warned stakeholders that “the gravity of these attempts to undermine the will of the people cannot be wished away or pushed under the carpet because they may re-emerge in future elections.”
Together with two other commissioners, Prof. Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu, they made shocking revelations about the 2016 elections, detailing how they had to leave the national tallying center at the Bomas of Kenya in secret after Dr. Ruto was named the winner. Today, they are leaving the commission after serving their six-year non-renewable terms.
Prof. Guliye stated, “We had to go into hiding, we had to shut off our phones, leave them in Bomas, send away our security, and we travelled in a Noah car to an unidentified area.
In addition, he described how throughout their six-year tenure at the commission, they overcame numerous challenges, including attempts to have them dismissed by opposition leader Raila Odinga.