The IEBC Chair and Vice Chair, Wafula Chebukati and Nkatha Maina/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 14 – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati says there is no rift between him and the other Commissioners at the electoral body.
This follows reports of an alleged misunderstanding during a boardroom meeting where Chebukati is said to have stormed out after his suggestions on the date of the repeat poll were rejected.
Speaking in Eldoret on Saturday, Chebukati however dismissed those claims saying the repeat presidential poll was on schedule and everyone at the Commission was on the same page.
“There is something called fake news in Kenya and you are now spreading that fake news. I just want to assure you that the Commission is together, the Chair and Commissioners are working together as a team. We took an oath of office to serve this country,” he said.
“Our duty is to the Kenyan people, according to Article 1 of the Constitution. We shall deliver our mandate on October 26. We have a contract with the people of Kenya. The Chairman is not planning to resign, the Commissioners are not planning to resign. That is fake news,” he stated.
He described the claims made as propaganda and stated that the Commission was working as a team.
“What happens in the boardroom is that the chairman guides deliberations, he gives options to Commissioners, every situation has options. There are three, four options and now if someone picks one option and says this is the Chairman’s option and that is the Commission’s option, that is not how boardrooms are run. So when discussions in the boardroom go out and it looks like the Commissioners are quarrelling, that is not true, we are working as a team,” he said.
It was reported that Chebukati was chairing a plenary meeting of the Commission at the Anniversary Towers to deliberate the impact of NASA leader Raila Odinga’s withdrawal from the October 26 race when after lengthy haggling, he excused himself and left the meeting saying he had other commitments and asked Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba to summarise what they had discussed and communicate to the country.
Shortly after leaving, it has been reported, Commissioners Roselyn Akombe and Margaret Mwachanya followed him, leaving the other four behind.
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