Kenyan electoral commissioner confirms she is in exile

david nganga

October 18, 2017 4:20 PM

Akombe said she won't be going back to Kenya as she feared for her safety following numerous threats.

A member of Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ,Roslyn Akombe who fled to the United States on Wednesday says she is effectively in exile.

In an interview with the BBC Newsday programme, Akombe, who joined the Commission from the United Nations (U.N) revealed that she feared for her life amid a troubling political crisis in East Africa's most powerful company.

Host: Do you envisage yourself going back to Kenya in the foreseeable future.

Akombe: Errr…No.

Host: So you are in exile in fact.

Akombe: I don’t feel safe enough to be able to go back home. I haven’t been feeling safe being there….

Host: ….it’s very sad.

Akombe: I mean It is sad…this is not what I ever thought it was going to end up being as a job.

In August, Akombe travelled to the US for an official meeting, after being initially detained at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Word was rife that she had fled the county over safety issues, just days after the IEBC declared President Uhuru Kenyatta as winner of the August 8 poll.

Her departure and comments have already engineered a response from the embattled Chairman of the Commission, Wakafula Chebukati, who in a press conference on Wednesday admitted that he could not guarantee a credible election on October 26.

“It is already painful to be on record as the chairman of the IEBC that presided over a presidential election that was nullified by the Supreme Court.”

“I have made several attempts to make crucial changes, but all my motions have been defeated by a majority of the commissioners. Under such conditions, it is difficult to guarantee free, fair and credible elections, “he said.

“I am convinced that without critical changes in the key secretariat staff, we may not have a free, fair, and credible election. I ask the staff who have been adversely mentioned to step aside and allow the project team to function without interference.”

david nganga