Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairman Wafula Chebukati has embarked on a purge of top officials a week after former CEO Ezra Chiloba was sent packing.
According to The Star, the commission has written to over 25 staff allegedly implicated in questionable expenditures amounting to Sh4.6 billion during last year’s two elections.
They are required to explain their roles in the expenditures queried in a controversial internal audit ordered by Chebukati early this year.
According to a separate report by Auditor General Edward Ouko, the commission cannot account for up to Sh9.2 billion for various contracts it awarded in ten months last year.
Speaking during the national launch of voter registration at Unoa Grounds, Makueni County last week, the IEBC boss said the commission had conducted its own internal auditing that corresponded with the government audit that came out August this year.
“The results of the audit came out and they mirrored our internal audit and this linked the CEO to the irregularities,”Chebukati said.
He further added that national elections were costing Sh46b due to wastage of tax payers’ money adding auditing after every election was the way to go.
He said that Chiloba was a thorn in the commission’ s flesh since he didn’t want the audit carried out from the beginning.
He noted that those who misappropriated money meant for the August 8 elections ought to be arrested and prosecuted.
According to the IEBC boss, the commission has already forwarded the reports to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Ethics anti-Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for prosecution.
Chebukati said the electoral body was opposed to external forces that keep on distracting it.
Chiloba was fired on Friday last week over alleged procurement irregularities during the 2017 general elections.
“It is now up to the DPP and the DCI to investigate and substantiate the claims. For my part, I am of the view that all those who are involved in any misdeals must be held accountable. Be it any staff or myself, they must be brought to book. Such people do not deserve to be called Kenyans, in fact, they must rot in jail,” Chebukati added.