CHEBUKATI REVEALS HIS PREFERED PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati has denied claims that there is political interference ahead of the August 9 polls.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, Chebukati said that the commission has remained independent ahead of the polls, and will not be influenced by any political side.

“We are an independent institution; there’s no interference from the political side. IEBC is independent and not answerable to any individual or authority but to the Constitution. We cannot allow external forces to come and influence what we do,” Chebukati said.

Raila Vs IEBC
This follows claims by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party presidential candidate Raila Odinga that Chebukati has colluded with the Deputy President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza alliance to stuff ballot boxes on election day.

“Tunajua walikuwa wanataka kuweka polling stations kama elfu kumi pahali ambapo wataweza kuingiza kura mia mbili – mia mbili wapate kura milioni mbili ziada ya uwongo (We know they (IEBC and Kenya Kwanza) wanted to add around ten thousand polling stations with 200 votes each to get at least two million ‘cheat’ votes),” said Odinga.

Odinga said his coalition will not take anything less than a manual register as a backup.

“We must have a manual register along with biometric identification of the voters on that polling day, kabla ya hiyo hakuna uchaguzi,” he said.

According to Chebukati, there is a deliberate effort to profile and malign IEBC staffers in regard to the upcoming elections.

“I have never been to (Moses) Wetangula’s home. There is a deliberate move to profile IEBC staff. Our staff are now frightened and don’t forget that it was around this time 5 years ago that our ICT staff was murdered,” Chebukati added.