IEBC Commissioner Dr Roselyn Akombe has quit her position at the electoral body with only a week to the October 26 repeat presidential poll.
In a letter released from her offices in New York - United States - Dr Akombe disclosed that the decision has come after months of questioning her role at the commission.
Dr Akombe has revealed that she has made the decision based on a number of the IEBC Commissioners being compromised.
"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.
[caption caption="Former IEBC Commissioner Dr Roselyn Akombe"]
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"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," her letter read in part.
Dr Akombe went on to share unsettling details she uncovered over the weekend when she and other officials travelled to Opposition strongholds to assess the impact of NASA's assertion that the repeat poll would not take place.
Read More: IEBC Makes New Announcement on Cancelling Election in NASA Strongholds
"It broke my heart in the last few days to listen to my staff in the field, a majority of whom truly want to do the right thing, express to me their safety and security concerns.
"I shared detailed reports from staff in four of the Counties most hit by the ongoing protests – Nairobi, Siaya, Kisumu, and Homa Bay – with the hope that this will bring sobriety to our decision making," Akombe's letter divulged.
She went on to intimate that her report was met with more opposition from her fellow commissioners who insisted that the election must be held whether lives would be lost or not.
In a phone interview with KTN News, the former Commissioner stated that IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati may want to do the right thing but he is under siege from the rogue commissioners.
"The Commission in its current state can surely not guarantee a credible election on 26 October 2017. I do not want to be party to such a mockery to electoral integrity," the resignation letter concluded.
[caption caption="Dr Akombe with IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati and Vice Chairperson Consolata Nkatha"]
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Dr Akombe flew out of the country on Tuesday and was expected to travel to Dubai to supervise the printing of ballot papers at Al Ghurair Printing Firm.
She, however, took a detour and travelled to the US from where she released the resignation letter, she added that her life is in danger and as such would not be returning to the country yet.
Here is a copy of Dr Akombe's resignation letter.
UPDATES:
9:45 am: A copy of the resignation letter was added to the article.
7:37 am: This story was updated to include excerpts from Dr Akombe's resignation letter.
