Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission commissioner Roselyn Akombe has returned to Kenya after nearly eight years in exile.
Dr Akombe fled the country in October 2017, just a week before the repeat presidential election following annulment of the August 2017 vote.
“No where beat home,” she said on social media post, where
she shared pictured of herself supposedly in the country.
Her sudden departure shocked the nation and raised serious concerns about the credibility of the electoral process.
Akombe cited security fears, a compromised electoral environment, and internal dysfunction at the IEBC as the main reasons for her decision.
She revealed that the commission was deeply divided, with some commissioners allegedly under political influence and intimidation.
She also claimed there were threats to her life and that she could no longer guarantee her safety or participate in an election she no longer believed would be free or fair.
In a statement from New York, where she had previously worked for the United Nations, Akombe warned that Kenya was on the brink of political crisis and that the IEBC was not in a position to conduct a credible election.
She described the commission as operating in a "veil of secrecy," with critical decisions made without consensus.
After fleeing Kenya, Akombe returned to the United States, where she resumed her work with the United Nations, eventually serving in various roles, including in conflict resolution and humanitarian coordination.
She has remained a vocal advocate for electoral justice, governance reforms, and whistleblower protection, especially in contexts where democratic institutions are under pressure.
The 2017 presidential election in Kenya was annulled by the Supreme Court on September 1, 2017, due to irregularities and illegalities in the electoral process.
The Supreme Court found that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had failed to electronically transmit results from polling stations to the national tallying center as required by law.
The court ruled that many results were not accompanied by Form 34A, the legally required document to verify results from each polling station.
It also ruled that some forms were unsigned, lacked security features, or were altered.
Though the court did not find evidence of voter fraud or wrongdoing by the winning candidate, President Uhuru Kenyatta, it ruled that the process was flawed enough to call the entire outcome into question.
The court ordered a fresh election within 60 days, which was later held on October 26, 2017.
