Raila want Chebukati to disqualify himself from overseeing remaining election

 

Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance Coalition Presidential Candidate Raila Odinga. He has told IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati to disqualify himself from presiding over the Mombasa and Kakamega Gubernatorial Polls on Monday next Week-Photo Courtesy

By Dickson Odhiambo

August 24, 2022

Raila want Chebukati to disqualify himself from overseeing remaining election

Azimio La Umoja one Kenya Alliance Presidential Candidate Raila Odinga now wants the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairman to immediately disqualify himself from overseeing the elections of Governors in Mombasa and Kakamega Counties slated this August 29.

Raila claims that the IEBC Chairman is partisan and has taken sides hence should never preside over any election henceforth.

Addressing the residents of Mombasa County today where he went to campaign for the ODM Gubernatorial candidate Abdulswamad Nasir, Odinga said the IEBC chairman has never been impartial during the electioneering period in his tenure as the electoral body chair.

Odinga says the remaining elections should be presided over by the Commission’s Vice Chair Juliana Cherera after Chebukati disqualifies himself from presiding over the poll.

Odinga has asked all Kenyans to continue remaining calm as they await the Supreme Court of Kenya decision on the Presidential election petition he brought before it on Monday this week.

However, IEBC in a quick response on the issue states that the statements made by Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga with regard to the role of its Chairman in the two Gubernatorial elections scheduled for Monday 29th August 2022 are misleading.

"Gubernatorial elections are run by gazetted Returning Officers as provided for by the law. For avoidance of doubt, Returning Officers for Mombasa and Kakamega counties are Ibrahim Swalhah Yusuf and Joseph Ayatta, respectively," the statement in the IEBC official face book account states.

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance Coalition through Raila Odinga who is its Presidential Candidate has moved to the Supreme Court of Kenya to challenge the declaration of UDA and Kenya Kwanza Presidential Candidate William Ruto as President-Elect wanting the court to declare it invalid, null and void.

Raila Odinga is the first Petitioner while his running mate Martha Karua is the second Petitioner in the petition.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is listed as the first Respondent while its chairman Wafula Chebukati is the second respondent.

IEBC Commissioners Boya Molu and Prof. Abdi Yakub Guliye are listed as third and fourth respondents respectively.

Other four IEBC Commissioners Juliana Cherera, Justus Nyangaya, Francis Wanderi and Irene Masit have been listed as fifth, sixth, Seventh and eighth respondents respectively.

William Ruto whom IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati declared President-Elect on August 15 this year has been listed as the ninth Respondent.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairman Wafula Chebukati declared William Ruto as President-Elect on August 15 this year following the General Election that was held this August 9.

Chebukati announced that Ruto had won the election garnering 7,176,141 at 50.49 percent against Odinga’s 6,942,930 at 48.85 percent.

Waihiga David Mwaure garnered 31,987 at 0.23 percent while Wajackoya George Luchiri got 61,969 at 0.44 percent as announced by IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati.