NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 10 – The Farmers Party – affiliated with President-Elect William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance has petitioned the National Assembly to initiate the removal of the four dissenting Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commissioners (IEBC) who disputed the August 9, 2022, presidential results.
In the petition filed by Chege and Sang Company advocates, the Irungu Nyakera-led party wants the four Commissioners – Vice Chairperson Juliana Cherera, Justus Nyangaya, Irene Masit, and Francis Wanderi removed over “gross violation and breach of their oath of office.”
“The oath of office insisted upon the Constitution is the prescription of the fundamental code of conduct in the discharge of the duties of higher offices,” the petition read in part.
On August 15, 2022, the four Commissioners dissociated themselves from the results declared by Chairperson, Wafula Chebukati, indicating that Ruto had won.
The Farmers Party held that the conduct of the four was meant to “frustrate the will of the people,” hence they are unfit to hold office.
“Their conduct was reckless, selfish, and devoid of the national values of patriotism,” Nyakera said.
The four Commissioners extensively accused Chebukati of sidelining them in the tallying and verifying of results.
The Farmers Party, however, holds that the four were hell-bent on causing “anarchy” and should be made accountable.
“Their actions amounted to a betrayal of public trust of the people of Kenya,” Nyakera said.
The four had moved to the Supreme Court as an extension of the petitioners who were seeking the nullification of Ruto’s win, but the court ruled that they failed to prove their case satisfactorily.
Azimio Leader Raila Odinga who lost to Ruto was the leading petitioner in the 2022 presidential election petition.
After the court verdict, the four welcomed the ruling and vowed to stand by the rule of law.
Garissa Township MP and the former National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale is also advocating for the removal of the four commissioners whom he insists must be held accountable for their actions.
“They must be held accountable; they cannot run away from that,” Duale said.
If the National Assembly considers the petition and gets satisfied that the four Commissioners violated the Constitution, the House will forward the petition to the President, who will, in turn, form a tribunal to investigate the allegations.
After their investigations, the tribunal shall report on the facts, and make a binding recommendation to the President, who shall act in accordance with the recommendation within thirty days.
