Chiloba back at IEBC after 45 days leave

The electoral commission Chief Executive Officer, Ezra Chiloba has returned to work after taking a break of 45 working days.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) CEO who went on leave less than a week to last year’s October 26 presidential election, resumed work on Thursday, January 4.

Chiloba had initially announced that he was taking a three-week break from the commission after what he termed as pressure from political players who were demanding for his resignation before the repeat election could be held.

“This is the first time I’m taking leave since my son was born. He turns two years old in two weeks’ time,” he told Reuters in October last year. 

His leave from the electoral body came amid calls for his resignation from opposition leaders who accused him of serving partisan political interests.

The IEBC CEO was also under pressure following the shock resignation of Commissioner Roselyn Akombe and the subsequent demand by the poll body chairman, Wafula Chebukati, for officials blamed for the nullified presidential poll to step aside.

Reflecting back on the political storm that he found himself in last year, Chiloba, in an interview with Citizen TV, said he was a sacrificial lamb and had been unfairly targeted especially by the opposition leaders.

“As soon as the Isack Hassan-led commission left, one of the scenarios we build is that one of the political groupings may not be happy with the outcome of the election and at that point they will look for a sacrificial lamb. I never doubted that that sacrificial lamb was going to be me. And the reason is, I had been the one midwifing the transition and preparing for the election,” said Chiloba.

He maintained that in running the last election, the electoral commission on August 8 did its best and delivered a credible election.

“In running the election generally I would say there are no regrets. In August 8^th we did a good election except that it went to the Supreme Court and was nullified,” Chiloba asserted.