Chebukati says reports of sackings at IEBC are fake news

IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati. He has dismissed as fake news a story claiming that CEO Ezra Chiloba and other senior staff at the secretariat have been sent on compulsory leave. However, he said changes will be made before the October 17 presidential election. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The repeat presidential election will be held on October 17, 2017.
  • Chebukati urged Kenyans to ignore a story on purported staff changes at the Commission.
  • Mr Odinga’s Nasa has already called for the sacking of IEBC staff including Chief Executive Ezra Chiloba.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has rubbished as fake news reports that it had sent on compulsory leave its Chief Executive Ezra Chiloba and other senior staff at the secretariat.

Though IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati has insisted that such changes will be made at the secretariat before the October 17 repeat presidential poll, the commission Tuesday said that the changes had not happened yet.

“We are faced with another spell of fake news. Kindly ignore story on purported staff changes at the Commission. We tell it when there is,” the commission said on Twitter.

Mr Chebukati had on Friday, hours after a landmark Supreme Court ruling annulled the August 8 presidential elections, said that changes will be made at the secretariat before the new poll that will be a two-man race between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his main challenger Raila Odinga.

INTEGRITY

“It is worth noting that the new commissioners only took office seven months ago without any changes made to the secretariat. To protect the integrity of the sovereign will of the Kenyan people, the commission intends to make internal changes to our personnel and processes as we prepare for the fresh presidential election in sixty days,” Mr Chebukati said.

In a press statement on Monday when he announced the date of the fresh poll, Mr Chebukati still read from the same script.

“The commission is revising the operational and procedural requirements for the conduct of the fresh elections,” said Mr Chebukati.

Those changes, he said, will be expedited once the commission gets the full judgment of the apex court.

Mr Odinga’s Nasa has already called for the sacking of IEBC Chief Executive Ezra Chiloba, Immaculate Kasait (director of voter registration and electoral operation), head of legal department Praxedes Tororey, Ms Betty Nyabuto of operations and Mr Andrew Muhati, the director of ICT.