IEBC commissioners do not deserve any pay – Opiyo Wandayi

Ugunja Member of Parliament Opiyo Wandayi has rejected a proposal by the Joint Select Parliamentary Committee (JSPC) to pay Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners as a condition for their exit from office.

Speaking on Sunday, Wandayi said that the agreement between the commissioners and the committee is not legally binding saying there is no provision in law that allows payment to be made for work not done.

“The initial agreement between the commissioners and the committee is not legal since no one should be paid for a job they have not done,” he said.

“IEBC commissioners should just be paid for the time they have been in office, nothing more. Anything other than that is illegal.”

He called on Attorney General Githu Muigai to overlook the pay demands saying doing so will be immoral and unfair.

The commissioners, who had for a long time resisted calls to resign, seemed to bow to pressure when they appeared before the committee.

Among the conditions for resignation that the commissioners gave was a dignified send off package and absolution from any criminal proceedings against them.

The commission has been under siege from Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) over apparent ineptitude to hold a free and fair election in 2017 with the opposition holding several protests to force them out of office.

CORD leader, Raila Odinga, claimed that the commissioners had been compromised to rig the presidential elections in favour of the incumbent, Uhuru Kenyatta, in exchange for government appointment at the end of their term.

He further accused IEBC chair, Ahmed Issack Hassan, of involvement in corruption, referring to the Chickengate scandal where the chair is among senior officials accused of demanding bribes from British firm Smith & Ouzman to give tenders for printing of ballot papers.

Other individuals named in the scandal are former Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir and former Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) CEO James Oswago.

All the officials have denied the allegations.

@benjaminwafula