Former Law Society of Kenya chairperson Okong’o Omogeni believes the embattled IEBC bosses' tenure technically ended when its boss Isaack Hassan allegedly referred to opposition leader Raila Odinga as a ‘perennial loser'
Hassan is alleged to have sworn an affidavit during the 2013 Supreme Court petition describing Raila as a "perennial election loser who never accepts defeat".
But Hassan has since defended himself over the remarks saying due to the time constraints, his lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi had written the affidavit and so did not have adequate time to go through it.
On Wednesday, the commissioners agreed a politically negotiated strategy that would see them receive hefty bonuses and salaries when they officially exit office following pressure from the opposition.
Speaking to this reporter on Thursday, Omogeni faulted the commission for allegedly being ‘careless’ by making unprecedented statements.
“It’s not a shock to me that the current IEBC team will not be in charge of the 2017 polls because it died when Isaack Hassan allegedly called Raila a perennial loser. Making such a careless statement was the greatest mistake he made as chairperson,” he said.
Omogeni added: “This is an independent commission which should handle all political players equally and without prejudice. When you show signs of partiality by dismissing another key political player, then your credibility becomes subject of discussion”.
“When Okoa Kenya was drafted, IEBC dismissed it hastily even raising invalid questions about the signatures. They missed the point because in the first place they didn’t elaborate about what they called a signature. Their problems are not a surprise and I am happy that they are leaving office,” he added.