The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati and commissioners Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu, whose tenures expire on Tuesday, have asked President William Ruto to form a commission of inquiry to probe the 2022 presidential election.
Speaking during the launch of the post-election evaluation report for the August 9, 2023 General Election at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi on Monday, Chebukati said the inquiry will expose the intrigues after the presidential vote on August 9 at the National Tallying Centre inside the Bomas of Kenya.
The elections boss narrated how the state officials and mercenaries were used to intimidate, attack, arrest, and harm the commissioners and staff in a bid to influence the presidential results.
According to one of the commissioners aware of what transpired, officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) made an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap Chebukati before he announced the final presidential results.
The fully armed officers arrived at Bomas and demanded to see Chebukati.
But when security guards and two other commissioners denied them access, the DCI officers insisted someone had sent them with a “special message” for the Chairman.
Chebukati was informed, but he refused to see them and instead locked himself inside his office.
As the standoff ensued, some of the members of William Ruto’s security detail arrived at Bomas to ‘check’ what was going on.
Ruto’s guards, some senior in rank, took charge of the place where Chebukati was ‘hiding’ and dared the DCI officers to break into Chebukati’s office and forcefully arrest him as tension mounted.
Another standoff ensued when National Security Advisory Council members arrived at Bomas to ask Chebukati to “delay the announcement until all votes are properly verified”.
The commissioners’ call could open Pandora’s box for top public officials whom he has publicly accused of trying to persuade him to “moderate” the presidential election results.
“The attempt [to change results] took the form of intimidation of some members of the commission by members of the National Security Advisory Council to moderate results in favour of a presidential candidate,” Chebukati said.
In his affidavit filed at the Supreme Court of Kenya in the case challenging President Ruto’s election, the chairman exposed NSAC members who visited him at Bomas and tried to persuade him against declaring Ruto as the President-elect.
They include Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto, former police IG Hillary Mutyambai, Vice Chief of Defense Forces Francis Ogolla and former Principal Administrative Secretary Kennedy Kihara.
Ogeto and Ogolla are still serving.
Prior to the team’s visit, Chebukati had disclosed that he received a phone call from the then Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua who informed him that he had sent the team.
He noted that the delegation had informed him that if he declared Ruto the President-elect, the country would burn.
