Chiloba was suspended in April in what the Commission said was to allow the pending completion of the comprehensive audit of all major procurement relating to the August 8, 2017 general election as well as the fresh elections held on October 26, 2017/file
NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 13 – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) says they have terminated the services of its Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba after it found him culpable of charges which arose from internal audit report on major procurement during the 2017 General Elections and the Fresh Presidential Elections.
IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati made this announcement in a brief statement posted in the Commission’s twitter handle.
“Mr Chiloba’s gross misconduct, breach and violations of the Commission’s Human Resource and Administration policies left the Commission with no option other than to terminate his employment,”
Chiloba was suspended in April in what the Commission said was to allow the pending completion of the comprehensive audit of all major procurement relating to the August 8, 2017 general election as well as the fresh elections held on October 26, 2017.
The CEO went to Employment and Labour Court, and was given a reprieve to return to work in June but he was suspended again hours after the court order.
Chiloba on Friday evening posted a statement on his official Twitter account stating complaining that the decision to the terminate his services with the poll agency was ‘pre-determined’ and that the disciplinary committee process was a ‘mere formality.’
In the post, in which he announced his sacking, the embattled who has been on suspension since last year, said he was fired after he refused to appear before the committee.
He also complained that the same three commissioners who voted to send him away were the same members of the disciplinary committee
“My employment with the IEBC has officially been terminated. This does not come as a surprise to Kenyans who have been monitoring the events at the IEBC in the last six months.”
“You appear to have already pre-determined the matter following reports that you have referred the matter to EACC and DPP, and you had already made a decision to dismiss me, but later rescinded it, which decision informed your re-assigning my official driver, terminating allowances due to security officers attached to me, and recalling of my official vehicles,” Chiloba said in the October 9 letter.
This account has been discounted by the Chairman who on Saturday stated that Chiloba had been granted a fair hearing.
“In tandem with fair administrative action, the Commission subsequently invited Mr. Chiloba to appear before the Disciplinary Committee so as to provide response to the charges leveled against him. He twice failed to honour the summons,” Chebukati stated.
Chiloba was initially scheduled to appear before the Disciplinary Committee on September 24 but requested for an alternate date as he had traveled out of the country to the US until October 5.
The suspended CEO also raised eyebrows on the on-going financial audit that led to his suspension saying that it was“stage-managed internal audit” and designed to deny him to access evidence he needed to defend himself.
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