Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) CEO Ezra Chiloba, who was suspended, spoke out for the first time after being implicated in a Ksh1.67 Billion loss of public funds during the repeat presidential election of 2017.
Chiloba has defended himself arguing that a governance problem is at the heart of the scandals at the electoral commission.
The CEO named Chairman Wafula Chebukati and the Commissioners for what he termed as "cannibalism" for the issues between him and his boss.
"The IEBC has a governance problem embedded in a weak institutional design.
[caption caption="Suspended IEBC CEO Ezra Chiloba speaks during a past interview"]
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"If there is still no clarity in roles between the commissioners and the secretariat, it does not matter who takes over from me as CEO, or who is appointed to serve as the commission chair," he told the Daily Nation in an interview.
Admitting that his role in the 2017 General Election was more pronounced than that of his predecessor, Chiloba suggested that the commissioners had hampered the work of the commission's secretariat.
"Ideally, the commissioners should insulate the secretariat from external attacks, allowing the Secretariat to carry out its operational role. This strengthens the institution and allows the oversight role of the commissioners to be strategic and impactful; away from the current cannibalism, we witness," Chiloba stated.
The embattled CEO, however, refused to comment on the accusations of embezzling just over Ksh1 Billion from the commission.
"Once the Auditor-General is done, the audit report is presented in Parliament and necessary reactions and actions are taken thereon. This is the standard procedure for an audit.
"Commenting on the reported Ksh1 billion loss would, therefore, not only be out of context but also an interference with the Auditor General's exercise," he stated.
[caption caption="Ezra Chiloba explains details to members of the press ahead of the 2017 elections"]
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