• Ruto on Tuesday sensationally claimed that a political syndicate that was managing the presidential succession was behind the scheme to eliminate Chebukati.
• "It was a hard, cold and lonely time, the threats were dire, the promised rewards lavish and the pressure relentless," he said.
Image: FILE
President William Ruto's claim that there was a carefully hatched plot to eliminate outgoing IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati has continued to elicit reactions from the political class in the country.
The President on Tuesday sensationally claimed that a political syndicate that was managing the presidential succession was behind the scheme to force their preferred candidate on Kenyans.
"We all know there was a direct attempt to abduct Wafula Chebukati and murder him so that the commission would be paralysed or a compliant commission takes over and subvert the people's sovereignty," Ruto said.
He went ahead and showered the former electoral boss with accolades, further alleging that Chebukati and commissioners Abdi Guliye, Boya Molu and CEO Hussein Marjan turned down huge sums of money they were offered to change the outcome of the election.
"It was a hard, cold and lonely time, the threats were dire, the promised rewards lavish and the pressure relentless.
"We salute with great admiration the steadfastness, integrity and leadership through example that Wafula Chebukati provided at the IEBC," Ruto said.
Several politicians allied to the Azimio camp have since dismissed the allegations and dared Ruto to present whichever evidence he has to the relevant authorities for appropriate action.
On Wednesday, political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi also weighed in on the matter and said the glorification of Chebukati by the head of state is beginning to sound suspicious.
"This glorification of Chebukati by Ruto is beginning to sound suspect. It is on steroids in an unusual way," Ngunyi said.
He appeared to be reading from the same script as the Jubilee secretary general who said on Tuesday that Ruto was out to sanitise a flawed electoral process to cover up the truth.
Kioni said the continued stay in office by Chebukati until very late was part of the cover-up ploy.
He said Chebukati should have left office on November 17 to give room for the appointment process of his successor to begin.
"Whatever kept him in office until the 17th of January can only be a cover-up of misdeeds while he was the chair,” he said.
The Jubilee SG further dismissed Ruto's claims on the Chebukati assassination claims as utter nonsense.
"The President cannot be sitting there and making allegations like a pedestrian. He has the instruments of power. He has to shape up,” Kioni told the Star on the phone.
He added:
“If the commissioners were being bribed and they did not report it, they are also guilty of an offence. They are the first ones who should be charged.”
Whereas Ngunyi was sceptical about the president's allegations over the poll process and murder plot, he insinuated that the latter could still be a plot in the works.
"And on killing Chebukati, maybe it has not happened yet. He should read Macbeth," he said.
Macbeth is a William Shakespeare play whose main theme revolves around ambition and greed for power.
In the play, three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland.
Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia.
Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death.