Chebukati blames PAC for ignoring IEBC submissions, recommending his sacking

IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati on Thursday accused a Parliamentary committee of ignoring the commission's submission while compiling its report.

Speaking to journalists after submitting their proposals to the Building Bridges Initiative Task Force at KICC, Chebukati said the Public Accounts Committee did not factor their submissions - both oral and written -  in the report due for debate Thursday afternoon.

The committee is chaired by Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi.

“We have seen the report of PAC and most of the information we gave has not been used in arriving at the recommendations and so we do not know what happened for PAC to ignore our submissions,” Chebukati said.

He added: “But the matter is before the floor of the House and we shall get the House to discuss it. I believe in Parliament there are men and women who will be able to see through the report.”

The committee recommended that Chebukati and commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye be kicked out of office.

The oversight team noted the continued existence of the Commission as currently constituted is untenable even for one extra day.

They proposed that Parliament spearhead reforms at the electoral body to pave way for fresh constitution of the agency.

“Parliament must provide leadership by developing a clear roadmap to midwife a seamless transition from the current order of management of elections to a totally new order,” the report reads in part. 

Read: Wandayi wants PAC report to disband IEBC adopted

Chebukati accused the committee of ignoring the commission's submission while compiling its report.

He added: “But the matter is before the floor of the House and we shall get the House to discuss it. I believe in Parliament there are men and women who will be able to see through the report.”

The report accuses commissioners of failing to provide oversight of the Commission occasioning loss of billions in highly inflated cost of materials used in last year’s polls.

Instead of oversighting the Secretariat, the report revealed that Commissioners were engaged in bidding for friendly companies to get lucrative tenders.

For instance, the 138 paged document found Chebukati to have contravened Leadership Integrity Act when he allocated cases to a law firm which he was a founder member without prior disclosure.

“It also emerged that the other Commissioners demonstrated conflicts of interest in relation to the procurement of the KIEMS kits where the Commissioners voted in favour of their preferred suppliers,” says the report.

Also read: Wandayi summons Chebukati to explain election funds ‘theft’