Ruto to suspend IEBC Four as MPs okay tribunal trial

The fate of the embattled four electoral commissioners now lies with President William Ruto after MPs approved their removal from office.

The National Assembly voted Thursday night-after extending sittings beyond the normal time-to adopt a committee report that recommended for their ejection.

The four are Vice Chairperson Juliana Cherera, Justus Nyang’aya, Francis Wanderi and Irine Masit.

The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee confirmed that the four petitions that were seeking for the removal of the four met the threshold for them to be kicked out of office.

Consequently, President Ruto is set to suspend the four from office any time and form a tribunal that will try them.

During the suspension and the period of the tribunal trial, they will be entitled to only half of their salaries. 

The House which comprised of mainly MPs allied to President Ruto's Kenya Kwanza camp unanimously backed the committee report after opposition lawmakers walked out earlier.

The commissioners are accused of gross violation of the constitution, incompetence and gross misconduct during the August 9 elections.

MPs, in approving the establishment of a tribunal, said the petitioners had confirmed a prima facie case against the commissioners.

The commissioners differed with their chairman Wafula Chebukati on the outcome of the presidential elections and disowned the final results.

While supporting the motion, National Assembly majority leader Kimani Ichung'wa hailed the committee for conducting their business professionally.

“This is the first time that we are seeing due process being followed in the removal of the IEBC commissioners,” said Ichung'wa.

The Kikuyu MP said the commissioners were lucky that they had been taken through a legal process and not the street protests that ejected their predecessors from office.

“We must be proud that as the 13th Assembly we are presiding over a process that follows due process of the law..we have not had to get anybody to the streets despite the gross violation of the constitution,” he said.

Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei, said the process was above board as Parliament was acting in line with the Constitution on the removal of holders of constitutional offices.

She said that the committee's mandate was to establish a prima facie case' on the allegations raised against the commissioners.

“These commissioners were not only in violation of the Constitution but also part of a larger conspiracy that eventually involved the killing of the two Indian nationals,” she said.

'They were part of a bigger conspiracy where they organised violence at the Bomas of Kenya.”