Governor Joho delivers petition outlining CORDs issues with IEBC

Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho on Monday delivered a petition to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) outlining a number of concerns over the commissioners’ inability to hold a credible election in 2017.

The petition outlines six issues that CORD had raised including their alleged involvement in mega corruption cases such as the Chickengate scandal, apparent bias which was allegedly exhibited by the IEBC chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan in the Supreme Court labelling Raila Odinga as a perennial loser and their supposed influence in the procurement of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits.

Other issues raised in the petition are the technological failures during the 2013 elections including voter identification devices and results transmission system, alleged bias in the distribution of BVR kits in voter registration and failure to compile a single voters’ register as required by law.

“In the matter of Articles 1, 37 and 38 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, and in the matter of a public petition calling for the resignation of IEBC commissioners, we, the people of Kenya do hereby unreservedly submit our petition to the IEBC commissioners to forthwith vacate office on the grounds inter alia,” read the petition in part.

Governor Joho led Mombasa’s first protest against IEBC on Monday managing the overcoming police resistance to submit CORD’s petition to demand for the resignation of the commissioners.

An earlier protest had been thwarted after police lobbed teargas at the protester, arresting several leaders among them Mombasa County Speaker Thadeus Rajwayi.

@benjaminwafula