'Raila will not win this by the backdoor!': In the words of Wafula Chebukati

 

When Wafula Chebukati then IEBC Chairman handed a clearance certificate to Azimio-One Kenya Alliance Presidential candidate Raila Odinga (center) and his running mate Martha Karua on June 05,2022 at Bomas of Kenya. [File, Standard]

In this personal account of an encounter with the fallen electoral body chairman just days before the General Election in 2022, Bernard Mwinzi says he could not understand why Chebukati was not taking the challenge of maintaining impartiality and a cool demeanour in the face of overwhelming political or media pressure at the time. But maybe, he adds, he expected too much of him. He was human, after all. And, in the circumstances, the line between heroism and villainy was a constantly shifting one, defined not just by his actions and those of his team, but by the shifting tides of political power and public perception. Yes, it was just days to the General Election, and in that volatile and charged environment, Chebukati could perhaps be excused for forgetting that, in the eyes of many, he was both a servant of the people and a prisoner of their biases