Senator Kajwang on Oswago jailing: The chicken will come home to roost for Wafula Chebukati

Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang has opined that the outgoing Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati is not impervious to the law and will face justice when the time comes.

Senator Kajwang compared Chebukati's tenure in the commission with that of the electoral body’s former CEO James Oswago who was on Monday convicted over his involvement in the 'Chicken Gate' scandal, saying that time will eventually also catch up with Chebukati if he is found culpable of mismanaging the last polls.

"We have been vindicated; when we protested against Isaac Hassan, the then IEBC Chair, and there were issues about impartiality but also administrative and institutional issues, just yesterday, Oswago who was the CEO then, has been convicted over some of the things he did," Kajwang said on Citizen TV's News Night show on Tuesday.

"We used to talk about Chicken Gate, Kenya refused to take action... the chicken will come home to roost, even for Wafula Chebukati."

Oswago and his deputy, Wilson Shollei, were jailed for four years or to pay a fine of Ksh. 7.5 million each after they were found guilty of irregular award of a Ksh1.3 billion tender for the supply of voter materials in the 2013 General Election.

While defending the embattled IEBC commissioners who are facing removal, the Senator said that Chebukati was also guilty of some breaches in the just concluded elections as outlined by the Supreme Court hence the ‘Cherera four’ should not carry all the blame.

"When the Supreme Court rendered their judgment, it is not like they said Wafula Chebukati did not encroach the law, there are certain regulations he relied on to unilaterally announce, tally and sideline the other commissioners," Kajwang said.

"The Cupreme Court pointed that out as an illegality which the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) was supposed to fix."

The lawmaker, who is allied to the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party, therefore, labelled the suspension of the commissioners as mere political witch hunt not governed by the rule of law.

"What is driving the petitioners, hiding under the shroud of constitutionalism, is a political and personal witch-hunt. If we wanted to fix our electoral practice in this country, we would reflect on the report of Martha Koome and the Supreme court," he stated.

He hence advised the tribunal since appointed by President William Ruto to consider the petition seeking removal of the ‘Cherera four’ to avoid playing politics but rather deal with issues meant to streamline services in the electoral body.

"We expect the tribunal to restrict itself to the grounds in the petition. We don’t expect them to use this to play politics," he said.