One of Kenya’s top election officials has resigned from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Dr. Roselyn Akombe who is also a Commissioner at the commission made the announcement of her recognition in a statement on Wednesday after fleeing the country to New York in the United States of America.
Dr Akombe had previously worked for the UN in New York before taking up the job as a commissioner at the IEBC.
In her statement ahead of the October 26 re-run presidential poll, Dr Akombe said she had doubts the repeat poll will be credible and fair.
“The commission in its current state can surely not guarantee a credible election on October 26. I do not want to be party to such a mockery to electoral integrity,” she said.
Dr. Akombe further granted an interview to the BBC from her base in New York stating that she fled due to fear for her life.
In that interview she stated that the IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati is doing his best but is under siege due to the partisan nature of senior election officials.
Akombe blamed politicians from both sides for creating an environment that intimidates staff of the IEBC to work with clear conscience.
“It broke my heart in the last few days to listen to my staff in the field, majority of whom truly want to do the right thing, express to me their safety and security concerns,” she is quoted as saying.
The resignation of this top election official could be seen as a major blow to the Kenyan electoral commission days ahead of the repeat presidential poll.
The Supreme Court of Kenya ordered for fresh poll after nullifying the results of the August 8 presidential election won by the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta.
The opposition leader in Kenya, Raila Odinga has already withdrawn from the repeat election citing the failure of the IEBC to sack some of its staff whose actions led to the nullification of August 8 election results.
Source: Africafeeds.com
