Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate William Ruto, on Wednesday, June 29 stated that he trusts Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) employees, as long as they are competitively recruited.
While speaking during the consultative meeting organized by IEBC, the deputy president noted that, he would not be worried even if Raila Odinga’s brother was the chairperson of the commission.
“I want to categorically state here that as Kenya Kwanza we have no problem with any Kenyan working under any capacity so long as they were competitively recruited. We do not care about the tribe, all we care about is competence,” DP Ruto said.
William Ruto’s remarks came following concerns raised by Azimio Chief Agent Kanchory Saitabao that most returning officers in various counties were from one community.
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“We have evidence and we will be writing to you formally on the issue of returning officers. We have gathered that most of the returning officers are from one community and people are complaining especially is some parts of Western and Nyanza region,” Saitabao stated.
However, in response, IEBC Commissioner Abdi Guliye and Chairperson Wafula Chebukati dismissed Saitabao’s claims and asked him not to politicize the commission and its staff.
“Those are unsubstantiated claims and I want to assure you all that most of our retuning officers are people who are employed permanently and pensionable and some have been at the commission since 2012. We do not work for any community but for all Kenyans and therefore I would urge you to refrain from politicizing our staff. We will protect them under all cost,” Guliye said.
According to Chebukati, IEBC is the face of Kenya with no tribe preference but a commission made up of competent officers who are ready to serve all Kenyans and ensure a credible election.
Furthermore, the commission met all four presidential candidates to clarify issues that had been raised concerning the commission’s preparations for the election.