Raila’s Supreme Court petition receives a major boost after four IEBC commissioners latest stunning move
The four IEBC commissioners who rejected Wafula Chebukati’s results that declared William Ruto as President-elect, will each file their responses in the petition challenging the outcome of the vote.
Vice-Chairperson Juliana Cherera and commissioners Justus Nyang’aya, Francis Wanderi and Irene Masit disowned Mr Chebukati’s declaration of Dr William Ruto as President-elect, alleging there was no clear winner.
According to a local daily, it has emerged the four commissioners have each instructed a lawyer to file their responses, widely expected to mirror their public statements that the vote tallying and verification process had been bungled.
“We have already identified our lawyers and given them directives. We need our own lawyers because the prayers Mr Raila Odinga has given to the court in relation to the case are different from what we have been listed to answer,” One of the commissioner told Nation on condition of anonymity.
The commissioner said that even if called upon to testify as individuals, they are ready to say the truth about what happened at the Bomas of Kenya prior to the declaration of the results on August 15.
The official said that the lawyers hired by the IEBC will be defending the position of the commission that there was no rigging as alleged by the Azimio coalition.
However, their lawyers will argue their position that commission chairman Wafula Chebukati side-lined them in the verification of presidential results from 27 constituencies.
This comes a day after
the electoral commission says the just concluded elections were conducted in accordance with the law and legal procedures
A member of the Commission, Boya Molu, said the election process followed the election laws and the agency is confident there was no violation of any procedure, rules or regulation.
process. Election is a regulated process. We have followed the election law to the latter and we are very confident there was no any violation of any procedure, rules or regulation, but that is for the court to determine,” said Mr Bolu.
He stated that the IEBC believes that the exercise was conducted in compliance with the law.
He spoke at the Supreme Court Nairobi after submitting the elections result Forms 34A, 34B, 34C and 34D, being the tallying documents on which the Commission based the presidential contest winner declaration.
“Those (Forms) are the things we have submitted and officially received by court and are now in the court’s custody. We are done with our obligation of submitting the election material as per the court regulations. All those forms are also submitted in electronic format,” said Mr Bolu.
Asked about the electronic devices used in identifying voters – the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits and IP addresses to the online portal where presidential election results were published, Mr Bolu said if court makes an order for submission of the same the Commission will comply.
