IEBC has summoned Kanu officials today (Monday) to clarify claims that the body conducted Kericho senatorial by-election to favour Jubilee Alliance Party (Jap) candidate Aaron Cheruiyot.
“Owing to the gravity of the claims and their potential impact on the democratic processes, the Commission is inviting Kanu party leaders at its offices tomorrow, 14 March 2016 at 12pm to shed light on the claims published in the press,” IEBC Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba said in a statement.
Kanu rejected the by-election results and promised to release a dossier detailing the irregularities it claims marred the election, won by a landslide by Jap’s Aaron Cheruiyot - who got 109,358 votes to beat Kanu’s Paul Sang who garnered 56,307 votes.
Chiloba said the by-elections were conducted in a free and fair manner and that Kanu had not lodged a formal complaint to the commission over claims that the by-election was rigged to favour Cheruiyot.
“For the record, the Commission has not received any complaint whatsoever of either electoral malpractice or misconduct, from the party, as required under the procedures of the Elections Act. The only concern raised by KANU on the night of the elections was that the results – which we understood to be provisional results – were coming in too fast.
“Like the over 37 by-elections conducted post-March 2013, the Kericho by-elections were properly conducted and met the threshold of free and fair elections. The by-elections were monitored and observed by accredited independent observers,” he said.
Chiloba said grievances aired by Kanu officials in public were only meant to taint the image of IEBC and to discredit the by-elections.
“The grievances being played in the media and other public galleries are therefore designed to discredit the Commission and the by-elections,” he said.
He added that Kanu had agents in all the polling stations and the commission provided badges to the agents, inclusive of those accredited to tallying centres.
He said no Kanu agent was turned away at any polling station.
“The party had agents in all the 623 polling stations which the Commission facilitated by issuing it with 700 badges, inclusive of those accredited to tallying centres. No accredited agent of Kanu, or any other candidate, was turned away at any polling centre,” he said.
“The transmission of the results and tallying of the votes at each of the six constituency centres was done in the presence of the party or candidate’s agents and witnessed by independent observers.
The results of the physical votes counted was recorded in Form 35 and 36 and witnessed by party agents present at the polling stations. Any objection to the results is supposed to be recorded on the form. The Commission has no record of such objection,” he said.
Chiloba said the commission is in the process of compiling the report of the by-elections and any party, candidate or member of the public who has any complaints regarding the conduct of both the Malindi and Kericho by-elections is free to report to the Commission for appropriate action.
He assured Kenyans that the commission is committed to discharging its mandate.
He told Kenyans not allow distractions and sideshows to slow down the resolve of the Commission and well-meaning Kenyans to strengthen the electoral process even as it prepares for 2017 general election.