Raila: Why Azimio Leaders Met 'Cherera Four' at a Kilimani Apartment

Azimio leader Raila Odinga has confirmed claims that some members of the coalition visited the four IEBC commissioners who disowned the results of the August 9th presidential election at a rented apartment Nairobi.

Odinga said the meeting at Yaya Apartments in Kilimani took place hours after William Ruto was declared the duly elected president and it was simply a fact-finding mission to establish what transpired at the national tallying centre on August 15th.

“The politicians were justified to visit these commissioners because they were saying ‘No’. Our people were actually justified to finding out the truth because that was already ex post facto,” he said in an interview with Citizen TV.

The four commissioners, Juliana Cherera, Irene Masit, Justus Nyang’aya and Francis Wanderi disowned the presidential election results, terming them opaque. All the four commissioners have since resigned save for Masit, who is facing a tribunal appointed by President Ruto to investigate their conduct in the August 9th general election.

Last week, the Justice Aggrey Muchelule-led tribunal heard that top Azimio leaders led by Raphael Tuju and Nick Salat met the four commissioners at the apartment, where they stayed for four days.

Odinga defended the visits saying his team was in protest of the results IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati was to announce and wanted to know “the truth” of what was happening.

“They wanted to know what actually transpired. The result had already been announced by Mr Chebukati. They are making too much noise about it in the so-called tribunal,” Odinga added.

Odinga further rubbished the ongoing probe against their four as utter charade, saying the tribunal appointed by President Ruto is illegal and that Justice Mucheule’s conduct also needs to be looked into.

“That tribunal itself is illegal, the way it was constituted, the matter was rushed and before the bill was even taken to Parliament, the so-called Victor who brought the bill had already condemned the four commissioners as people who had put the country in turmoil,” he said.

“We knew it was a charade and they couldn’t expect any justice before the tribunal. Justice Mchelule himself has got integrity issues. His name was mentioned in the Akasha trial in the US. He has got a big file on him by the FBI yet he is now the angel trying the other commissioners? It’s a charade and we don’t expect any justice from that kind of tribunal.”