IEBC chair Chebukati says Chiloba is responsible for commission’s mess

EBC Chair Wafula Chebukati (centre) during the national voter registration launch at Unoa grounds, Makueni. [Steve Nzioka, Standard]

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati says the commission's CEO Ezra Chiloba was fired on grounds of audit queries.

Speaking during the national launch of voter registration at Unoa Grounds, Makueni County, the IEBC boss said the commission had conducted its own internal auditing that corresponded with the government audit that came out August this year.

“The results of the audit came out and they mirrored our internal audit and this linked the CEO to the irregularities,"Chebukati said.

He said national elections were costing Sh46b due to wastage of tax payers’ money adding auditing after every election was the way to go.

He said that Chiloba was a thorn in the commission' s flesh  since he didn’t want the audit carried out from the beginning.

He noted that those who misappropriated money meant for  the August 8 elections ought to be arrested and prosecuted.

According to the IEBC boss, the commission has already forwarded the reports to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Ethics anti-Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for prosecution.

Chebukati said the electoral body was opposed to external forces that keep on distracting it.

Credibility in doubt
 Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior poured cold water on the IEBC  saying Kenyans had no confidence in the current commissioners since it had not addressed questions that were raised in the disputed 2018 general
elections.

“You still owe Kenyans an explanation on what happened on August 8. Kenyans don’t know what will happen during the transmission of the results if they vote in the referendum," said Mutula.

He said that there was need to restructure the IEBC since Kenyans had lost trust in it and that they could not conduct credible referendum.

Further, Mutula continued to poke holes on the commission asking why Kenyan elections were so  almost the most expensive regionally.

“The other day the chair said that the referendum will cost the tax payers around Sh12b, which means it will cost every Kenyan $425  as compared to countries like India where it is a dollar per citizen," he said.

The senator accused the commissioner for failure to table report to special committee of senate and national assembly on audit result of the deaths register and audit of the electronic devices used during the disputed 2018 elections.

“The auditing of the registers has not been done and this has led to “dead people” voting In general elections and also after the elections IEBC was supposed to give audit of the election material particularly the electronic devices which also lies undone”, he alluded.