A section of commissioners exited the IEBC because they were opposed to an internal audit to find out why the cost of the 2017 elections was high, chairman Wafula Chebukati has said.
"We retreated and reflected on where we have come from... from what we had seen the cost of election was too expensive.. we needed to do an audit to see how to reduce the cost... when we came back, we engaged an internal audit that was the beginning of reduction of the team... they didn't want us to get into details... they were clearly opposed to it for reasons best known to themselves," he said.
The three commissioners who left were Paul Kurgat, Consolata Nkatha and Margaret Mwachanya.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has since appointed them to diplomatic posts.
Chebukati said he does not have the exact figures of how much may have been lost during procurement for the 2017 election, but added that a report was forwarded to the EACC.
Meanwhile, he said the agency is capable of handling the next General Election.
On the agency's preparedness to conduct by-elections scheduled for next month, commissioner Abdi Guliye said there will be sanitisers and handwashing stations available for voters, who will be expected to wear masks.
Commissioner Boya Molu said the agency has no enforcement powers and expected politicians to follow protocols outlined by the Health ministry.
The three spoke during an interview aired on Citizen TV on Monday night.
Chebukati reiterated that Covid-19 is one of the cost drivers during elections.
"Going forward to 2022, we must make provision for that," he said.
