Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati left a message to the incoming commission as he left office.
In a farewell letter dated Wednesday, January 18, he told the commissioners and chairperson set to succeed him to stick to their mandate as enshrined in the Constitution.
He asked the incoming chairperson to ensure that the systems he put in place to guarantee IEBC effectively delivers its role are sustained.
"To the future Commission, fidelity to the law is the key to success at IEBC. I leave the commission with solid governance structures and a stable permanent secretariat," Chebukati reiterated.
He also expressed gratitude to Kenyans and the team he left behind at the electoral commission for their support and trust during his six-year term in office.
"It has been an honour to serve the country. It was undoubtedly a challenging assignment, but I served my country to the best of my ability and in accordance with the oath of office I took.
"To the IEBC staff, thank you for working tirelessly and with dedication despite difficult circumstances at times. You are the true heroes," Chebukati reiterated.
While unveiling the 2022 Post Election Evaluation Report on January 16, the retired Chair highlighted five key challenges he faced at the helm of the Commission.
Topping the list were highly ethnicised and divisive politics, the late enactment of Electoral Laws and inadequate and untimely disbursement of funding.
He also lamented about the attempts to erode the Commission’s independence and misinformation and disinformation.
Meanwhile, he listed 11 key achievements during his tenure citing, creating a system that was full-proof from electoral malpractices and reducing the cost of running an election.
He left office alongside commissioners Abdi Guliye and Molu Boya. IEBC is only left with one commissioner, Irene Masit.
