The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) cannot account for more than Sh1 billion allocated to last year’s repeat presidential election.
An Internal audit by the electoral commission shows that the cash meant to be used to fund the fresh election after an earlier one was nullified by the Supreme Court might have been misappropriated.
In a sworn affidavit to the court, IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati said preliminary report of the audit revealed possible gross violation of the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act, leading to the loss of the aforementioned money.
“It is therefore imperative and in the public interest that the internal audit be completed as the Commission owes the public a duty to use the public resources allocated to it appropriately,” Mr Chebukati said.
Chebukati’s affidavit is in reply to contempt of court proceedings lodged by suspended IEBC Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba. In his case, Chiloba wants the court to jail Chebukati and two other commissioners for alleged disregard of a court order that reinstated him into office.
Chebukati, Commissioners Prof Abdi Yakub Guliye and Boya Molu sent Chiloba on a fresh three-month compulsory leave hours after the Employment and Labor Relations Court ruled he assumes office after an earlier suspension.
He wants the three summoned to explain why they should not be cited for contempt of court. In his affidavit, Chebukati says their action to suspend the CEO is justified, since it was meant to allow for the completion of the audit.
“The members therefore resolved to suspend the petitioner for three months pending the completion of the comprehensive audit of all major procurements relating to the elections of 8th August 2017 and fresh presidential elections on 26th October 2017,” he says.
“That the need to suspend the petitioner became even more apparent in the re-cent times as the petitioner/applicant has since his suspension proceeded on a threatening and blackmailing spree of the employees of the commission and even the commissioners themselves,” he adds.
He cites June 19th letter where Chiloba allegedly warned him to stop the audit process.
What do you expect from…
What do you expect from Mheshimiwa Wafula Chebukati. This is the man who cleared people with a shady past to run for an elective public office!
The IEBC is the most important organization in our republic. As long as criminals are cleared to run and after they get in office continue with their lifetime negative addictions, Kenya will continuously slide into oblivion.
Mheshimiwa Chebukati is the…
Mheshimiwa Chebukati is the person responsible for clearing people with a shady past to run for an elective public office.
Unless the IEBC is fully restructured to be the only legitimate body to clear our future leaders without political manipulation and interference, and Chebukati out of office office and his entire crew, Kenya is going to continue sliding fast into a nation where corruption, rape, murder, financial embezzlement, arrogance, inefficiency, lack of accountability, micro-nationalism, backwardness ARE GOING TO BE THE NORM.
In future, the head of the IEBC must work with the national intelligence, the criminal investigation branch of the government, and all the banking institutions in order to find out about the potential candidate’s past before the name is given to the voting wananchi.
There so many of our current elected officials with an extremely shady past. I wonder how Mheshimiwa Chebukati was unable to see how rotten there are before he submitted their names to the public.
Mheshimiwa Chebukati’s wealth and his banking accounts should be scrutinized in order to see how much money he accepted through bribery in order to clear criminals to run for an elective public office.
More billions missing! There…
More billions missing! There we go again! Na wanainchi wa kenya wanatulia tu, no demonstrations, no nothing. Just read, comment and move on. When are we gonna act? Why can’t we set a day, fly to a central location and show our patriotism by shedding light on these issues. We all have a responsibilty.