Wishing Raila as President: Former IEBC Chair’s Statement
Issack Hassan, the former chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), has revealed that he backed opposition leader Raila Odinga to win the 2013 elections.
Hassan, speaking on Citizen TV’s JKLive Show on Wednesday evening, expressed his admiration for the former prime minister at the time, stating that he wished he could have experienced his presidency.
While recalling his relationship with Odinga. The former head of IEBC praised Odinga, stating that he was instrumental in Hassan’s rise through the ranks.
According to Hassan, Odinga’s forthrightness during his interviews for various government positions influenced numerous decisions. And he would have wished for the same with Odinga in charge.
Hassan stated, “I have a great deal of respect for the Prime Minister, and in my first job as the Commissioner of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC), he was the chairman of the parliamentary select Committee on the Constitution; they interviewed us, and I was among those chosen from the North Eastern Province.”
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“I tried to give him credit for this; there were times when people tried to interfere with our nominations, but he refused. With his support, I became the chairman of the AIC and then the IEBC.”
He added, “If there’s anyone I respect and am grateful to, it’s him. And I would have wished he had won the election to become our president, as we needed to evaluate his leadership.”
Hassan even admitted that the election result in which former President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the victor did not sit well with him.
He noted, however, that he was required by the Constitution to declare the victor. And therefore distanced himself from his personal preferences.
“As chairman of the electoral commission, I only announced the results of the elections and the will of the people.” That was a difficult time for me, but what can you do? This is the nature of the game, so it was never personal,” he explained.
Wishing Raila as President: Former IEBC Chair’s Statement
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