Parliament Committee recommends removal of 'Cherera 4' IEBC commissioners

The committee said all four petitions by the Republican Liberty Party, Rev. David Nthumbi, Geoffrey Lagat and Steve Owour had enough grounds to warrant the formation of a tribunal to investigate the conduct of the four commissioners; Juliana Cherera, Irene Masit, Francis Wanderi and Justus Nyangaya.

The committee's chair George Murugara said they found enough grounds and wanted the House to agree with them to recommend that the president should suspend the four commissioners and form a tribunal to investigate them.

“The petition by the Republican Liberty Party discloses serious violations of the constitution and other laws as a ground for removal of Mrs. Juliana Cherera, Ms. Irene Masit, Francis Wanderi and Justus Nyangaya commissioners of IEBC,” read part of the report by the committee. 

“The House resolves that the petitions therein be sent to the president, that the President appoints the tribunal to deal with the matters and that the President suspends the commissioners pending determination by the tribunal,” added Murugara.

With the removal of the four the country risks being without an electoral commission as the term of the other three commissioners, Chairman Wafula Chebukati, Abdi Guliye, and Boya Molu is ending on January 18th, 2023.

Following the risk, Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa is now pushing for the passage of an amendment bill on the formation of the Selection Panel of the IEBC commissioners.

“There is serious risk that the country will be without a commission, and that’s why it important that we expedite with the IEBC bill to allow the Senate to also consider it... the country can’t run without the commission,” Ichungwa told the House.

“With the three commissioners' term coming to an end and with the fate of the other 4 in the hands of this assembly, should anything adverse be decided on them, we run the risk of being without a commission,” he added.

The fate of the four now lies with Members of Parliament who are set to make a determination on the matter.