President William Ruto has said there was an attempt to kill the outgoing Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati during the August 2022 elections.
While speaking during a meeting with constitutional commissions and independent institutions at State House, Nairobi on Tuesday, January 17, the head of state said he is aware that a few actors were interested in compromising the elections and threatened Chebukati to subvert the presidential results.
“We know that there was a direct attempt to abduct Wafula Chebukati and murder him so that the commission would be paralyzed, or a compliant commissioner take over and subvert the people’s sovereignty,” he said.
Moreover, president Ruto said he was aware of the fact that other IEBC commissioners were also threatened and even promised a lump sum amount of cash if they played to the tune of the “system”.
“We now know that Chebukati, commissioners Abdi Yakub Guliye and Boya Molu as well as the CEO, Hussein Marjan, and their staff, were offered stupendous financial rewards to cooperate with the agents of impunity, but they bravely resisted,” he said.
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“We also know that they were subsequently threatened with dire consequences for them and their families if they did not do the ‘system’s bidding and overturn the choice of Kenyans. Again, we know that they stood strong and firmly said no.” President Ruto added.
As such, the head of state applauded the Chebukati-led team for remaining devoted and firm to their critical roles and exercising what he termed as integrity and leadership.
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“It is this uncompromising commitment to his constitutional responsibility that enabled Chebukati to lead IEBC in learning effectively from the 2013 and 2017 elections to deliver an election that met the highest standards,” said Ruto.
The president further highlighted the importance of having vigilant independent institutions which he said should be steadfast in advancing their constitutional mandates.
“If every institution rises to their highest potential and operates effectively, there will be an opportunity for coordination, collaboration, cooperation and complementarity, as well as healthy competition for the benefit of Kenya and our people.”
