Miguna Miguna Hits Out at Raila for Defending Embattled IEBC Commissioners

Lawyer Miguna Miguna has castigated Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga for defending the four IEBC commissioners who disowned the results of the August 9th presidential election.

Through Twitter on Friday, Miguna termed Odinga’s defense of the four officials as an act of desperation, insisting that the commissioners attempted to subvert the will of the people. 

"It is bad manners and an act of desperation for Raila and his sycophants to continue subverting the Rule of Law and democratic practice by openly supporting the opaque Cherera four who attempted to overturn the will of the People in August 2022!" he wrote.

The four commissioners Juliana Cherera (Vice Chair), Irene Masit, Justus Nyang’aya, and Francis Wanderi rejected the presidential results announced by IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati on August 15th, terming them opaque. They also filed affidavits supporting Azimio’s unsuccessful petition challenging President Ruto’s victory at the Supreme Court.

The commissioners have been summoned by the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) for a hearing on four petitions seeking their removal from office over alleged gross misconduct, abuse of office, and violation of the Constitution.

On Thursday, Odinga termed the ongoing probe against the four by Parliament as politically motivated and a continuation of the witch-hunt mission President Ruto is on. 

"The injustice being inflicted on the IEBC commissioners will mark the beginning of a massive pushback against Ruto and those who think like him. We will openly and robustly lead that pushback…It will turn into a nasty partisan fight at a time we need to unify the country,” said Odinga.

He added that the four have not been found guilty of any electoral malpractice and urged them not to honor the summons.