Wafula Chebukati’s Conditions For The Repeat Presidential Election

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman, Wafula Chebukati, has put out a set of conditions for the repeat presidential election on October 26.

Among the conditions the embattled chairman wants to be met include the resignation of key staff at the Secretariat, dialogue between NASA and Jubilee parties and a complete stop in the meddling of the electoral commission by the political class.

Read Also: IEBC Commissioner Roselyn Akombe Resigns

While alluding to internal division in the IEBC as Dr. Akombe alleged, Chebukati indicted a section of his commissioners of a coup to undermine the delivery of a credible poll, adding that he cannot move forward with a divided Commission.

“When all the commissioners and staff truly commit to serving the country rather than partisan political interests… then I can truly be confident of having a credible presidential election,” he said.

The electoral body chairman insisted that without critical changes in key Secretariat staff, the commission might not have a free, fair and credible election decrying all his motions pertaining the changes were defeated by a majority of the Commissioners.

“As a lawyer, I cannot continue to be pushed by majority of Commissioners to accept legal opinions that serve partisan interests and are not grounded in the Constitution or the law. In the least, this is intellectual dishonesty for which my professional training demands that I abhor.”

“I ask the staff who have been adversely mentioned to step aside and allow the project team to function without interference,” he added.

Read Also: Chebukati Drops Chiloba From New Repeat Election Team

On his other condition, Chebukati called on President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga to dialogue to ease the current political tensions in the country.

“If candidates on all sides put the country first it will affect the quality of decisions they make. They will realize that for the greater good of the country, there are things that they would like to do they will have to stop, and things that they do not want to do that they will have to do for the sake of the country.”

This comes amid calls by the opposition to boycott next week’s poll even as Jubilee Party insists the election must go on as planned with President Kenyatta issuing a stern warning on those planning to disrupt the election.

Wafula Chebukati then censured NASA candidate, Raila Odinga, for withdrawing his candidature. He warned that such a move would disenfranchise his 6 million supporters who voted for him in the first round.

The chairman further warned that such a move is detrimental to a country’s economy, citing examples from democracies like Zimbabwe, Burundi, and Thailand. He cautioned that the withdrawal of candidates with a large number of voters will only lead to a deeper economic crisis.

“Do we just go on as if this withdrawal means nothing?” asked Chebukati.