NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 26 – Police on Monday lobbed teargas to disperse Azimio La Umoja supporters who were protesting the interdiction of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ruth Kulundu.
This was as they were going to the IEBC headquarters at the Anniversary Towers to present their petition.
“We have come here deliberately, constitutionally, very peacefully to come and engage with IEBC which as you know is an independent but public commission paid by public taxes. You have seen that as we came, police lobbed teargas on us severally without provocation just because we are conducting our constitutional mandate,” Ruaraka Member of Parliament TJ Kajwang told journalists.
“Then we come to this gate, we have found that they have locked it with chains,” he observed.
Anniversary towers gates were however closed and locked with the legislators being told to disperse their supporters if they want their petition to be accepted.
The lawmakers maintained that Kulundu was interdicted for being a whistleblower in the August 9 elections.
“We are here because as members of parliament, we are mandated to address any issues of concern affecting Kenyans, and one such issue is the one affecting madam Ruth Kulundu who has been interdicted, not by IEBC but by Chebukati and marjana,” Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi stated.
They further indicated that her interdiction was a witch-hunt choreographed by chairman Wafula Chebukati’s wing in the commission for having assisted the four dissenting IEBC commissioners.
IEBC CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan accused Kulundu of misconduct for arranging an illegal commission plenary meeting without approval.
In the meeting, the four commissioners who disputed the 2022 presidential election results picked law firms that would represent the commission in the consolidated presidential election petition.
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Director of Communications Phillip Etale stated that the legislators will converge at Koinange Street where they will start the walk to the agency’s Anniversary offices.
Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi and Nominated MP Sabina Chege last week claimed that the move to interdict Kulundu was a witch-hunt choreographed by Commission’s Chairperson Wafula Chebukati’s wing in the commission for having assisted the four dissenting IEBC commissioners.
