Recently, the High Court granted orders overturning the suspension of IEBC chief executive Ezra Chiloba (right). If events of the past few months are anything to go by, the expectation is that, immediately upon receiving these orders, the Commission’s Chair Wafula Chebukati will reinstate Chiloba only to suspend him a few hours later.
But who is this person that is so keen on seeing Chiloba out?
What makes sense is that a regime keen on retaining power will also be keen on retaining the services of Chiloba who, according to some quarters, did a “perfect job”, whatever interpretation you fancy of that phrase. DP William Ruto would particularly be happy to have him around. But this has not happened. In his tribulations so far, Chiloba hasn’t received any support from within Jubilee ranks. Chebukati meanwhile, has become emboldened in his “clean-up” act.
It doesn’t make sense.
Chiloba may not be the “master thief” he has been made out to be – at least to those heights. His friends, those who worked with him during his time at the United Nations Development Programme and his fellow church members at Lavington SDA, point to a man who is not only hardworking and meticulous but also morally driven. Particularly those who worked with him at the UNDP say that it normal practice for him to dedicate time to reconciling every failure and finding permanent solutions to them.
His fellow worshipers also reveal a man clearly devastated by the events that characterised the 2017 election and whose social life has taken a negative turn since.
In a word, Chiloba stands in stark contrast to his chair, who not only seems out of his depth but also lacks the expertise and legal power to make any meaningful impact at the commission.
Could it be a case of use and dump? But why not dump Chebukati as well? Why must Chiloba leave immediately?
Because, more than anything, “Chiloba out” is demonstration of deepening cracks within Jubilee. A little bird within the Commission says the “effortless efforts” to keep him out are the result of the buddy alliance between President Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, as “part of electoral reforms in readiness for the 2022 Election”.(
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