Former IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati Declines to Appear at Ichung’wah – Kalonzo Hearing
Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Cheukati has said that he won’t appear before the National Dialogue Committee (NDC) after the team invited him, terming issues on the 2022 general election a closed case.
In a statement on Thursday, the former IEBC chair affirmed that appearing before the committee would be tantamount to betraying the IEBC staff who were tortured and murdered during the election period.
The committee co-chaired by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah was formed to break the political impasse between Kenya Kwanza and Azimio La Umoja.
NDC on Monday invited Chebukati to make submissions on the conduct of the 2022 elections, whose results the opposition contested but the Supreme Court upheld.
Chebukati has instead called for a commission of inquiry to be formed to investigate the events before and after the contested elections.
“It is neither our wish nor our desire to participate in a process whose outcome would be to sully the Constitution and some of its organs,” Chebukati said.
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“The discharge of our constitutional and legal mandate as detailed above is self-evincing. It is our fervent hope that in due course, a Commission of Inquiry will be set up to investigate the unfortunate incidences of August 15, 2022, at Bomas of Kenya which brought the image of our country into disrepute.”
Chebukati insisted that the Commission of inquiry should investigate why some of the Commission’s staff were abducted, tortured, or killed during the election period.
Alluding to this, he said that the persons responsible should face the full force of the law.
“The outcome of such an Inquiry will bolster the independence of the Commission (IEBC) and ensure that it maintains the stature contemplated in the Constitution of Kenya,” he noted.
“With tremendous respect to the Committee, our participation in the talks would be an unmitigated betrayal to the staff who were tortured and murdered and an unfortunate reward for impunity.”
The audit of the 2022 elections tops the bipartisan talks of the National Dialogue Committee. Other issues include cost of living, enactment of law on party affiliation, establishment of offices of opposition leaders and Prime Cabinet Secretary, and entrenchment of funds into the National Government Constituency Development Fund.
Former IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati Declines to Appear at Ichung’wah – Kalonzo Hearing