Chebukati: Stop pay for IEBC officials who quit

Electoral commissioners Paul Kurgat, Margaret Mwachanya (centre) and Connie Maina at The Stanley Hotel in Nairobi, when they announced their resignation from the IEBC on April 16, 2018. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Chebukati wants the Consolata Maina, Margaret Mwachanya and Paul Kurgat to return any properties belonging to IEBC.
  • According to Mr Chebukati, a commissioner resigns from office by sending a letter to the President, gives a one month notice or pay one month’s gross salary in lieu of the notice.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Wafula Chebukati wants the payment of salaries for the three commissioners who resigned last month stopped.

Further, in a letter to Treasury PS Kamau Thugge and Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, Mr Chebukati wants the three – former vice-chairperson Consolata Maina, Margaret Mwachanya and Paul Kurgat – asked to return any properties belonging to the commission, which is still in their possession.

In a response filed in court, Mr Chebukati said he wrote to the three commissioners on April 20, asking them why they have never reported to their offices or issued the commission with letters confirming their resignations. But since then, they have never responded or reported to their offices at Anniversary Towers. “It is clear that the three have absconded duty unlawfully,” he said in a sworn statement.

SALARIES

“In view of the foregoing, the commission is of the opinion that the salaries of the said commissioners be stopped from the said date,” reads the letter sent to Dr Thugge by Mr Chebukati. The letter has been annexed to the court documents.

According to Mr Chebukati, a commissioner resigns from office by sending a letter to the President, gives a one month notice or pay one month’s gross salary in lieu of the notice. But the three never followed the procedure.

And if it is confirmed that they tendered their resignations to President Uhuru Kenyatta, they should be compelled to settle any outstanding liabilities and return all properties belonging to the commission, in their possession.

DOCUMENTS

He also wants them to return all original documents and copies belonging to IEBC, computers – both hardware and software – any written and training material, keys and security passes.

Mr Chebukati also wants them to sign a certificate of clearance with various departments in the commission to avoid being surcharged and to facilitate their clearance by the Treasury and the commission.

While enumerating how the commissioners fell out, Mr Chebukati said the commission held a plenary on January 16, 2018. In the meeting, they resolved that he writes to the accounting officer Ezra Chiloba, seeking an explanation on the concerns raised. He said this was done by way of a memo issued on January 16.