- Azimio la Umoja In reference to suspected shady deals during the most recent general election, Raila Odinga, the head of one Kenyan coalition, has threatened to name departing IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati and two other commissioners.
On Sunday, January 29, Raila alleged during a rally at Jacaranda Grounds in Nairobi that the departing head of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), commissioners Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu, made him a surprise visit at his residence during the campaign.
The leader of the opposition implied that the three officials were trying to get him to pay a bribe in order to influence the election on August 9, 2022, in his favor.
He said this in response to Chebukati’s recent accusations that he was given a bribe to rig the 2022 presidential election in the Azimio boss’ favor or compel a runoff.
“Bwana Chebukati anasema eti kuna watu walikuwa wanataka kuonga yeye ata wale wenzake bwana Guliye na bwana Boya. Nataka kuuliza hao mlienda kwa jumba la Baba(Raila) kufanya nini? Uliza wao walikuja kwangu kufanya nini na waliomba nini.” Raila remarked.
The opposition chief threatened to release CCTV footage to prove that the three officials were at his house.
“Wajue kwamba mimi niko na picha yao wakicheza mimi nitatoa (Let them know I have their recordings. If they continue like that I will expose them),” Raila threatened, adding that the officials also visited former Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju’s home.
Raila argued that the departing chairperson ought to be imprisoned for allegedly supervising electoral fraud while standing up for a group of commissioners led by Vice-Chairperson Juliana Cherara and commissioners Justus Nyang’aya, Francis Wanderi, and Irene Massit who rejected the presidential results announced by Chebukati on August 15, 2022.
Tuju, former Busia senator Amos Wako, and attorney Kyalo Mbobu visited the national tallying center in Bomas hours before Chebukati revealed the presidential results on August 15, 2022. Chebukati had hinted on Tuesday that he was given the bribe.
“The first speaker was Amos Wako who said that we should not operate in a vacuum and we should look at the bigger picture for the country and when you reach this kind of situation you can moderate results and achieve stability of the country,” Chebukati testified before a tribunal probing the four commissioners who rejected the presidential results on grounds that the final tally was “opaque”.
“Tuju said that it was necessary that we moderate these results in favor of Baba and that any contrary declaration of the results would plunge the country into chaos. I understood Baba to be Raila Odinga.
“He said that in the alternative, if it was not possible to moderate the results, then we should ensure that there is a runoff. Tuju said that we consider the request then we shall be rewarded. We did not encourage him to expound the reward.”
Meanwhile, Raila on Sunday asked the Common Wealth and the United Nations to deploy teams to Kenya to look into the election rigging claims within two weeks, failure to which Kenyans will take matters into their own hands.
He asserted that the Executive, headed by President William Ruto, would have an influence on all other investigations, including those being conducted by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
“Vijana tumesema kwanza tunataka Common Wealth and the United Nations itume inspectors hapa Kenya sio Ruto la sivyo wakenya watachukua hatua yao wenyewe,” Raila said while responding to calls from the youth to invade State House.