The National Security Advisory Council (NSAC) confirmed that it delegated its officials to meet with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chair, Wafula Chebukati before he announced William Ruto as President-elect.
Intrigues behind the meeting were submitted before the Supreme Court on Thursday, September 1, by Attorney General Paul Kihara through Senior Counsel George Oraro.
NSAC defended the August 15 meeting stating that they had previously met with Chebukati and thus so nothing unusual with the said meeting.
Oraro divulged that Chebukati met with officials from the NSAC in July 2022 where he requested the assistance of the body in providing security during the polls.
Further, the SC explained that the meeting was centred around the verification process which was stalled on many occasions, raising tensions in the country.
He added that Chebukati was informed of the meeting in advance by the Head of Public Service, Joseph Kinyua, refuting any sinister motives.
"The visit to the IEBC tallying centre was because of the suspension of transmission of election results. Kinyua called him (Chebukati) and told him that a team will discuss concerns raised over the tallying and verification of results.
"Chebukati conflicts the visit of the NSAC with that of a group of politicians early in the night. The chairman pretends that this was an issue he only knew when it was brought about by commissioner Abdi Guliye," Oraro stated.
Additionally, the NSAC accused Chebukati of treating the officials with contempt having kept the officials waiting for hours despite being notified in advance.
"They were not seen when they went to meet Chebukati. The four commissioners also support Kihara's statements over matters discussed in the meeting," Oraro added.
The AG - who maintained that he was neutral in the petition challenging Ruto's election victory - wondered why Chebukati failed to mention details of the July 2022 meeting in his affidavit.
Oraro lamented that accusing NSAC officials of attempting to subvert the will of the voters hurt the image of the security officials gravely, further urging the court to throw out the claims.
"The chairman's allegations are grave and have affected the commissioners and this court should deal with the matter with its gravity. It is my humble submission that the allegations made cannot fly," the AG's advocate stated.
In his affidavit, Chebukati claimed that the NSAC led by Kihara, Kennedy Ogeto (Solicitor General), Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai and Lieutenant General Francis Omondi Ogolla (Vice Chief of Defence Forces) cautioned him against announcing Ruto as the President-elect as it would have plunged the country to chaos.
