Chebukati now threatens to sue Raila

Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Wafula Chebukati yesterday responded to Opposition leader Raila Odinga claims that he demanded a bribe to declare him the winner of the presidential election.

In a demand letter addressed to Raila, the former IEBC boss termed Raila’s claims during last Sunday’s Azimio la Umoja rally at Jacaranda Grounds in Nairobi, Chebukati challenged the Opposition chief to table the video capturing the alleged visit within seven days failure to which he will face legal consequences. 

He termed the allegations as both false and malicious and calculated to injure his reputation.  

“We act for our client Mr Wafula Chebukati, the immediate former Chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) under whose instructions and authority we write  and address you hereunder.

“Our client has placed in our hands a video clip recorded on or about 29th January 2023 during Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition Party rally at Nairobi’s Jacaranda Grounds,” reads the letter by the law firm of Saroni and Stevens Advocates signed by lawyer Steve Ogola.

The letter quotes Raila saying: “Chebukati says that there are some people who wanted to bribe him together with his friends Guliye and Molu. I want to ask you, what did you come to do in my house? What did you ask from me? And I have footage for that, you play with me, I will release it.”

The law firm states that the claims shocked the former IEBC boss, terming them false and malicious.

“Our client is aggrieved that the said allegation has the unconstitutional purpose and effect of lowering his dignity and injuring  his reputation, among right minded members of society,” states the demand letter.

“In response to your allegation, our client vehemently denies your allegation that he met you during the election year, let alone the election period, and in particular in your house as alleged by yourself.”

Seek favours

He demands that Raila furnishes him with the video  capturing the alleged visit within seven days, failure to which he will institute a legal suit against him.

Addressing the Azimio rally on Sunday, Raila claimed that the three former IEBC bosses led by Chebukati visited his Karen home seeking facilitation to rig the election in his favour.

Raila challenged Chebukati, Guliye and Molu to publicly deny or confirm that they visited his home seeking favours.

“I have pictures to confirm this, if they deny I will unleash them,” Raila said during a public rally at Jacaranda Grounds in Nairobi.

He wondered why Chebukati and his team were claiming that there were attempts to bribe them without disclosing why they visited his home.

“They asked me for something and I have evidence to that effect,” Raila told the crowd adding that when he declined the overture, they declared William Ruto the victor of the presidential election.

Raila also claimed that Chebukati and his team also visited former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju’s home  in the same Karen neighborhood, adding that he has videos to prove the claims.

He asked President Ruto to accept that he did not win the August 2022 presidential election.

“Accept that you were defeated in the election, leave State House for Baba to get in. We are speaking the truth, we do not want war, and we do not want threats. We have our rights as Kenyans, and they cannot be snatched by a hawk, Kenyans deserve a leader that they elected,” he said.

On Monday, Ruto waded into the debate, challenging Raila to explain why he invited the IEBC bosses to his house when he was a candidate in the presidential election.

Ruto further wondered why Raila never raised the claims as part of his evidence in his petition at the Supreme Court challenging the outcome of the election. 

Meanwhile, Raila has questioned the use of technology in elections, saying it can be used to interfere with the results.

”We need to re-think use of technology during voting. Either were are having reliable voting technology, voting machines with a variable audit trail so that voters can confirm that their choices are being recorded accurately or we go fully manual,” he said at a leadership conference in Abuja, Nigeria, yesterday.