Akombe gave up 5.6 Million for IEBC
Great sacrifices were made.
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But all that changed when she quit the commission because she felt that the commission was not capable of conducting a credible election given the circumstances it is working under.
“This election as planned cannot meet the basic expectations of a credible election. Not when the staff are getting last-minute instructions on changes in technology and electronic transmission of results. Not when in parts of country, the training of presiding officers is being rushed for fear of attacks from protesters.”She wrote in the statement from New York.
“I have tried the best I could do given the circumstances. Sometimes, you walk away, especially when potentially lives are at stake.” She added
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After her letter, we came to learn that aside from putting her best foot forward Akombe made a huge sacrifice.
As Nairobian reports the commissioner took a 70% pay cut from her job at the UN for a much lesser salary of Sh800,000 at IEBC. Meaning she gave up a salary of approximately 5.6 Million shillings and career advancement to take up what is now seen as one of the hardest jobs in the country.
She revealed that one of the reasons she took up the IEBC job was that she felt it was about time she gave back to the Kenyan society.
“Well, I have spent the better part of my career advising governments what to do, having worked in systems where international best practices are the norm. Then you reach a point in life where you want to give back to society, to your country, because obviously, IEBC wasn’t going to pay me anything close to my United Nations salary.”
Akombe also said that she applied for the IEBC commissioner job because she feared that the 2017 elections would see a repeat of what happened in 2007.
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“The perception within the international community in 2007 was that the Kenyan elite would not allow the country to degenerate into chaos. They were wrong. Looking at Kenya from last year, I knew we were headed back there (disputed elections and violence) and I asked myself what I could do to prevent it.” She told the paper.
Also Read: Chiloba to miss out of October 26 elections
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