Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati has suspended the body’s ICT Director James Muhati and two other staff members for failing to discharge their mandates.
In a memorandum that leaked online and signed by Chebukati, the three “appear to have fallen short of assisting the commission successfully discharge this collegial and constitutionally enshrined mandate.”
The East African country’s August 8 presidential election was nullified by the Supreme Court on September 1.
The court ruled that the vote was not conducted in accordance with the stipulations of the constitution, and should be repeated in 60 days.
The IEBC then set October 17 as the date for the repeat poll, though the opposition has rejected this saying that the commission should first conduct reforms before planning the election.
Last week, opposition leader Raila Odinga published names of 12 staffers who he said were involved in irregularities in the august 8 elections and should be sacked. Muhati was among them.
The ruling Jubilee Party has however condemned the opposition for meddling in the affairs of the IEBC, a constitutionally independent body.
The authority last week announced that it would meet leaders from both sides this week to seek solutions to issues that would hinder smooth elections.
