Petitions filed in Parliament to remove 4 IEBC commissioners from office

Four petitions were on Tuesday filed before the National Assembly seeking to remove from office the four IEBC commissioners who disowned the results of the August 9 presidential polls.

The petitions filed by the Republican Party, Rev. Dennis Ndwiga, Geoffrey Langat and Owour Jerry all accuse IEBC vice chair Juliana Cherera and Commissioners Irene Masit, Francis Wanderi and Justus Nyagaya of gross violation of the constitution and incompetence.

The petitioners want Parliament to recommend the formation of a tribunal by President William Ruto to remove the quartet from office.

They also want the commissioners to take personal responsibility for boycotting the results of the August 9 presidential elections.

 “They should take personal responsibility for the reasonably foreseeable consequences of any actions or omissions arising from the discharge of the duties of the office,” the Republican Party petition reads in part.

“Failing to follow the guidelines on the declaration and tallying of the presidential results... The four commissioners grossly erred by disowning the results and convening a meeting purportedly to appoint counsel to represent the commission in the presidential petition,” Rev. Ndwiga said in his petition.

Langat, on his part, asked Parliament to consider the petition noting that should the House rule that the allegations tabled against the four meet the threshold for removal from office, their names should be forwarded to President Ruto for appropriate action.

The debate on the petitions took the all-familiar political route with MPs taking party positions in either supporting or rejecting the arguments made by the four plaintiffs.

Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wa and his minority counterpart Opiyo Wandayi differed on whether the petition should be entertained by the House or not.

Wandayi claimed that the matters being canvassed in the petitions are already within the public domain and as such, they are not of any relevance, a stand that was rubbished by Ichung'wa.

"Once elections are done the country moves on. So let’s not get stuck at a point as if we are still in the electioneering period. Our side went to court and we were told that we were 'hot air'. We accepted and moved on; let us all move on," said Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo

The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee will have 14 days to consider the petitions although Speaker Moses Wetangula has given the panel a leeway to seek an extension should they not have completed the task within the set timeframe.