This archive report was first published on 12 July 2019.
On October 18, 2017, Kenyans woke up to the news that Roselyn Akombe, a vocal Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Commissioner, had resigned just a week before the repeat presidential election.
Dr. Akombe had left the country on October 17, 2017, for Dubai to inspect the printing of ballot papers by Al-Ghurair, but she rerouted to New York and sent home her letter of resignation expressing her concerns about the poll body's ability to conduct a credible election on October 26, 2017.
According to her letter, Dr. Akombe stated, 'It has become increasingly difficult to continue attending plenary meetings where Commissioners come ready to vote along partisan lines and not to discuss the merit of issues before them. It has become increasingly difficult to appear on television to defend positions I disagree with in the name of collective responsibility. I have concluded that I am no longer making any significant contribution to the commission and to my country as a Commissioner.'
Dr. Akombe had previously dismissed rumors of her resignation, stating that her focus was on ensuring a credible electoral process. In an interview with BBC Newsday on the day of her resignation, she said, 'The Commission in its current state can surely not guarantee a credible election on 26 October 2017. I don't want to be party to such a mockery to electoral integrity.'
IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati also expressed concerns about the commission's ability to conduct a credible election, stating that the commission was divided along partisan lines. He called upon staff members who had been involved in the bungling of the August 8 elections to step aside.
Despite the challenges, Chebukati ruled out resigning from the poll body, stating that he was determined to make things work and that he would not go down as the Chairman who plunged the country into a deeper crisis.
