Azimio to Defend Four “Rebel” IEBC Commissioners – Kalonzo

The four “rebel” IEBC commissioners will be defended by the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance against any attempt to have them removed from office, Wiper leader Kalonzo Muysoka has said.

The Wiper leader on Saturday criticized President William Ruto for his continuous efforts to remove the four from office.

The commissioners, who were under the direction of vice chair Juliana Cherera, Irene Masit, Francis Wanderi, and Justus Nyang’aya, had disassociated themselves from the presidential results, calling them opaque.

Kalonzo asked Ruto and his allies to leave the four alone.

Read: Four IEBC Commissioners Explain Why They Rejected Presidential Results

“We totally condemn this brazen act of witch hunt and demand that the President and his agents leave those officers alone. On our part we commit to do whatever it takes to protect those officers from any attempts  in fringe their basic rights,” Kalonzo said. 

This comes days after Farmers party, an affiliate of the Kenya Kwanza coalition, filed a petition at the National Assembly seeking the removal of the four from office.

The party, led by former PS Irungu Nyakera, accused the four of gross misconduct violation of the law.

“Farmers Party has presented to the National Assembly a petition for the removal of 4 commissioners of IEBC following the attempt by the said commissioners to sabotage an election process as witnessed on August 15, 2022 at Bomas of Kenya,” read the statement by the Farmers Party.

Read Also: Four IEBC Commissioners Reject Presidential Results

“The petition by Farmers Party expresses the conduct of the commissioners as being a gross violation of the constitution and a breach of their oath, which denies the 4 commissioners their legitimacy to hold the state offices as commissioners of the IEBC.”

The party, through Chege and Sang Company Advocates, asserted that the group’s dispute with IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati and subsequent exit during the results announcement on August 15 violated the law and their obligations because they hold public office.

“On 15th August 2022, Juliana Whonge Cherera, Irene Massit, Justus Nyan’gaya & Francis Wanderi being Commissioners to the Independent Electoral & Boundaries Commission in utter breach of their oath of office, walked out of the National tallying centre with a sensational claim that the Presidential Elections were opaque,” read a section of the petition.

“The mentioned commissioner’s conduct was intended to bring out contempt or disaffection and in fact excited disaffection and tasted aspersion towards the IEBC mandate as established by the Constitution of the Republic of Kenya.”

Read Also: Four Dissenting IEBC Commissioners Break Silence After Supreme Court Verdict

The commissioners’ involvement in the Supreme Court case to have the elections declared invalid, according to Farmers Party, was a plot to subvert the will of the people.

“The commissioners proceeded with their treacherous scheme in. the Supreme Court and swore affidavits based on falsehoods, a fact which the Supreme Court noted in its decision of 5th September 2022,” read the petition.

“…Commissioners’ conduct, therefore, had the effect of subverting the will of the people and consequently in violation of the express provisions of Articles 1, 2, 73, 74, 138 and 140 of the Constitution.”