Sabina Chege vote-rigging remarks case to proceed to full hearing

The IEBC Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee has dismissed the objection by a team of lawyers representing Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege.

Chege appeared before the committee on Tuesday over utterances made by herself in Vihiga County last week, suggesting that Jubilee rigged the 2017 poll result.

The Commission’s chair Wafula Chebukati directed that the objections by Senior Counsels James Orengo and Otiende Amollo are dismissed and the matter proceeds to a full hearing.

Chebukati submitted that Chege was wrong in her utterances, saying, all persons bound by the Code of Conduct should re-assure voters of impartiality of the commission and secrecy of the ballot.

“The respondent herein is a member of Jubilee party and a serving Woman Rep having been elected under jubilee. In the premises, the respondent is subject to the code of conduct and is under duty to abide by the same,” he said.

Earlier, we reported that Chege is being represented by Senior Counsels James Orengo and Otiende Amollo, who Tuesday argued that it was unprocedural for the committee to subject her to an examination without clear charges.

“We have a problem with this statement of breach. From the charge, it is a redacted version of what Chege said. You are not telling us clearly what she is accused of saying,” Orengo argued.

He told the committee that the accusation against the Woman Rep did not amount to a breach of the Electoral conduct, hence lacking weight to subject her to an inquiry.

Lawyer Otiende Amollo demanded to be provided with a full text of Chege’s exact words during the Azimio la Umoja tour in Vihiga County last week, before responding.

“The charge as is does not invite a response from Sabina Chege.”

The politician came under fire last week over remarks that seemed to suggest Jubilee rigged the 2017 polls.

Chege told a crowd that something happened to  Raila Odinga's results in 2017 and that a similar scenario could be duplicated in this year's election.

But Deputy President William Ruto, during a Kenya Kwanza Alliance rally in Njoro, Nakuru at the weekend dismissed the allegations as false.