Vice-Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Juliana Cherera, said that her boss, Chairman Wafula Chebukati, disregarded the electoral body’s procedures and acted unilaterally on August 15, 2022, when he proclaimed the results of the presidential election.
Cherera stated in a document submitted to the Supreme Court on Friday that Chebukati repeatedly disregarded her and commissioners Justus Nyangaya, Francis Wanderi, and Irene Masit as they attempted to confirm the results prior to the contest’s official announcement at the Bomas of Kenya.
She submitted the petition in favor of Raila Odinga’s appeal contesting the results of the presidential elections.
She submitted the petition in favor of Raila Odinga’s appeal contesting the results of the presidential elections.
Cherera claims to have received a communication from Tabitha Mutemi, the IEBC’s Corporate Affairs Manager, at around 11am on the day the results of the presidential elections were scheduled to be announced, instructing her to inform presidential agents to have the various presidential candidates get ready for the official declaration of results at 3pm.
Cherera claimed that, as the second-highest ranking commissioner after Chebukati, she followed the directive and informed the chairman of it.
She claims that Chebukati then instructed her and the aforementioned commissioners to meet him in one of the boardrooms at the Bomas of Kenya through an IEBC Whatsapp group.
“At 4:30pm, the chairperson proceeded to issue the Commissioners with a document containing what he termed as a summary of the presidential election results which he alleged he had tallied and verified from the backend of the server,” said Cherera in the affidavit.
“The chairperson did not indicate how the errors and concerns raised by the Representatives of the Presidential Candidates and political parties were dealt with.”
Despite Cherera and the three commissioners insisting that they sought to tally and verify the document presented before them, Chebukati allegedly overlooked their concerns said that he would still announce the results.
“The chairperson then walked out of the meeting leaving behind the commissioners and proceeded to the auditorium of the National Tallying Centre at Bomas of Kenya,” said Cherera.
“Together with Wanderi, Nyangaya and Masit, I left the meeting room after the Chairperson walked out of the meeting room after disregarding the issues raised by the Commissioners.”
The quartet would soon after leave the premises and head to the Nairobi Serena Hotel where they disowned the presidential polls results during a press briefing.
