Electoral agency’s vice chairperson Juliana Cherera has denied claims that she was barred from travelling to Greece alongside her counterpart Francis Wanderi.
While defusing claims of being sidelined, she said the duo was among the top IEBC officials that led several stakeholders to Greece to witness the printing of presidential ballot papers.
Three weeks ago, there were claims that Cherera and other commissioners had been kept in the dark on the arrival of the first batch of electoral ballot papers.
This after it emerged that they had been informed of the arrival of the papers hours before their touch down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Speaking soon after she landed at the airport alongside Wanderi and other commission officials and stakeholders, Cherera said they were part and parcel of the commission, adding that they have not been sidelined contrary to the claims.
They landed alongside a consignment of presidential ballot papers.
“I am the vice chair of the commission and it was important that I go see and certify before Kenyans that indeed the process has been done and it is clear and flawless,” she said.
Cherera blamed ‘communication breakdown’ for the mix-up that dogged the arrival of the first batch of the ballot papers three weeks ago.
She added that the commissioners are working as a unit alongside other stakeholders to ensure the commission delivers free, fair, credible and verifiable elections.
“That is the reason we invited stakeholders to Greece to do quality physical check-ups for the 2022 general elections,” she said.
“We wanted them to witness that there is due diligence and ascertain that the ballot papers bare the physical features as proposed.”
“We invited them on board to check with the third eye and ascertain the printing was in the specifications proposed to the Greek firm, Inform P Lykos,” she explained.
The invited stakeholders were Inter-religious council chairman Joseph Mutie, Inter-religious council of Kenya executive director Abdi Raman and Azimio’s duo of Velma Maumo and Benjamin Agina.
Others were ELOG’s Ann Wambui, Kenya Kwanza’s Brian Kagombe and Anthony Ng’ang’a, Daniel Kinuthia from the Office of Registrar of Political Parties and Evance Oudo from the Media Council of Kenya.
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