Jubilee appoints Davis Chirchir as its chief agent

The Jubilee Party has appointed former electoral commissioner Davis Chirchir as its chief agent for the August 8 polls.

Secretary-General Raphael Tuju on Monday confirmed the appointment of Mr Chirchir, also a former Energy Cabinet Secretary in the Jubilee government.

DEPUTY

Former Independent Interim Electoral Commission member Winnie Guchu, Mr Tuju said, will deputise Mr Chirchir.

“Jubilee has settled [on] Mr Chirchir as its chief agent and [he] will be assisted by Ms Guchu,” Mr Tuju told the Nation.

Mr Chirchir is a former Energy Cabinet who is an old hand in electoral matters, especially the information technology work platforms at the IEBC.  

Mr Chirchir was among the five Cabinet secretaries that President Kenyatta sacked over corruption allegations, though Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) cleared him.

'CHICKENGATE'

He was also questioned by the EACC, but not charged, over the 'Chickengate' scandal, in which British security printing firm Smith & Ouzman was found to have bribed several electoral commission officials in order to win a tender.

Currently, Ms Guchu is the Jubilee party executive director, having resigned her position as a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

She assumed the Jubilee position with a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of the Judiciary, having served for two years.

The Judiciary is an important player in the elections as it could be called upon to handle petitions resulting from a contested presidential election result.

NASA

Ms Guchu is a former member of the defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission, the predecessor of the current Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, which now conducts elections and referendums in the country.

Until March 2015, when President Kenyatta appointed her to the JSC to fill a position left vacant by Christine Mango, who had retired in 2013, Ms Guchu was the TNA executive director and played a critical role in ensuring the election of President Kenyatta.

On Friday, the National Super Alliance (Nasa) appointed Senator James Orengo as the coalition’s chief agent for the elections.

Mr Orengo, will be deputised by Nasa Chief Executive Officer Norman Magaya.

Editor's Note: An SMS alert sent on this story on July 31, 2017 had indicated that Ms Guchu had been appointed as the chief agent and Mr Chirchir her deputy. Mr Tuju, who had provided the earlier information, clarified the positions as reflected in this story.