Suspended IEBC CEO Ezra Chiloba Finds Peace in Farming, Says He's Tired of 'Noises Out there'

Suspended Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chief executive officer Ezra Chiloba has taken advantage of his three-month compulsory leave to venture into agri-business at his rural farm in Trans Nzoia County.

Journalists who toured his farm in Mutua village in Kwanza constituency on Friday found the besieged CEO busy preparing land for planting.

“Don’t think Chiloba is idle. I’m busy in the village. I have much peace here. I am so tired of the noises out there. My target is to transform this piece of land into something more productive,” he said.

He said he purchased the farm seven years ago, but it has remained idle because he had been held up by last year's controversial elections.

“I bought this land in 2011 but I had not put it to proper use because I was busy with the planning of the 2017 elections. This is the right time to make it useful,” he said.

On the land, Chiloba has planted 600 stems of passion fruit, 500 tissues of culture banana, 100 avocado and 3,400 coffee trees.

“I want to make the farm a model for the community. My desire is to make residents transform their lives through agribusiness instead of relying on maize which has become valueless and frustrated farmers."

He further plans to plant 4,000 trees on the expansive land. To give back to the society, the CEO is working with Trans Nzoia Governor Patrick Khaemba to put up a water project that will serve two schools and over 4,000 people in the area.

“We have enough land in the county but it has not been utilised well. There is need for residents to exploit opportunities in agribusiness. This will transform their lives,” he said, noting that farmers from the region must seek alternative crops other than maize.

“Our farmers have to move away from maize dependency and into other options. The national and county governments have to support farmers in weed and pest control. Storage facilities should be provided,” he added.

He was suspended from the electoral commission two weeks ago in what the agency's chairman Wafula Chebukati said was to pave way for audit into the procurement department.