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3 MPs petition parliament for removal of 4 ‘opaque’ IEBC Commissioners

National Assembly speaker Moses Wetangula has received petitions seeking the removal of four IEBC commissioners from office.

Wetangula has confirmed that his office was in receipt of the petitions by the Republican Party, Dennis Nthumbi, Geoffrey Lagat and Owuor Steve Jerry.

He committed the petitions to the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, formally kick-starting the process of their removal from office.

The committee has 14 days to assess the evidence submitted by the petitioners to see if it meets the threshold for Parliament to compel the president to form a tribunal.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commissioner vice chairperson Julian Chera, who led a mutiny at the commission, is targeted for ejection.

Others are commissioners Justus Nyangaya, Francis Wanderi, and Irene Masit.

The Republican Party wants the four commissioners who rejected the final presidential results kicked out of office over gross misconduct.

Nthumbi wants the commissioners removed from office for demonstrating open bias after attempting to alter the presidential results to force a run off.

Lagat wants to commissioners removed from office over gross violation of the law.

“The conduct of the four commissioners violated the law and I pray that the National Assembly takes the necessary steps for their removal from office,” reads in part the petition by Lagat.

On his part, Owuor wants the commissioners out for gross violation of the law.

If Parliament approves the petitions, they will compel the President to form a tribunal to remove them from office in line with the constitution.

The four had convened a parallel press conference at Serena Hotel on August 15 and denounced the presidential results that declared William Ruto the winner of that month’s presidential election.

They termed as ‘opaque’ the results that were announced by IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati at Bomas of Kenya.

The Republican Party cites the press briefing as an act of misconduct that must be punished in accordance with the law.

The party also says the commissioners have lost public confidence by failing to adhere to the leadership and integrity law and demeaning their office.

“They failed to adhere to values and principles of good governance and should therefore take personal responsibility over their actions,” the party says in the petition.

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