House team sends Chebukati away

Electoral commission Chairman Wafula Chebukati has been sent away from the public hearings on the election bills after he went to the meeting with the House committees alone.

Mr Chebukati was stopped just before he started making his presentation to the committees from the National Assembly and the Senate chaired by Baringo North MP William Cheptumo and Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo.

The chairman had informed the committee that with the election coming up, the commissioners and staff are out in the field engrossed in its preparations.

But he was stopped in his tracks by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, who questioned the procedure of allowing the chairman to speak alone yet it was the commission that had been invited.

MEMORANDUM

“Can the chairman confirm that indeed he has a signed memorandum from the commission? We didn’t invite the chairman of the IEBC. We invited the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission,” said Mr Sakaja.

Mr Sakaja asked Mr Chebukati to present a memorandum signed by the commissioners.

The commission had earlier sent a memorandum.

Mr Sakaja said the committee should only deal with signed documents and if not signed, to take it as a presentation by Mr Chebukati alone.

RULING

When asked about the absence of others, Mr Chebukati said: “I speak for the commission and if you want the whole commission here, they can come.”

With other lawmaker supporting the proposal that Mr Chebukati could not be allowed to make his presentation in the absence of the rest of the commission or minutes from the meeting at which the position was reached, Mr Cheptumo made his ruling.

He asked Mr Chebukati to return to the meeting at County Hall at 7pm or earlier, and to bring with him either the rest of the commissioners or a document showing that the memorandum had been agreed upon by the commission.