Mixed reactions as Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula waits IEBC verdict

Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula during the hearing at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi. Wetang'ula's legal team has put in a spirited explanation in a bid to save the opposition co-principal from being removed from the voter's roll. [PHOTO:FIDELIS KABUNYI/Standard]

Leaders and residents of Bungoma County have expressed mixed reactions on the move by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to offer Senator Moses Wetang'ula a chance to defend himself over voter bribery charges.

Wetang'ula who is the senate minority leader will know whether his name will be struck out of the voter's register or not on January 20, 2016.  

The CORD co-principal is accused of bribing voters during the 2013 general elections contrary to the stipulated electoral laws.

The Thomas Letang'ule led IEBC committee was formed to give the senator a fair hearing before the commission offers the final verdict.

Other members of the committee include Lilian Mahiri Zaja and Mohammed Alawi.

The committee was formed after the senate speaker gazetted the name of the senator for committing an electoral offense.

Khalaba ward MCA Majimbo Okumu said it was commendable for IEBC to give the Ford Kenya leader a platform to explain himself instead of just going ahead and deleting his name from the voters register.

"IEBC have done something commendable by allowing our senator to explain himself, the courts , the Director of Public Prosecutions and the investigative agencies had cleared him of any wrong doing but we don't understand what transpired again to an extend of his name being taken to the senate speaker who subsequently forwarded it to the electoral body? By offering him such a platform we are very happy," said Okumu.

However, Simiyu Mutaki a resident in the county blamed Jubilee administration for targeting Opposition leaders.

He said that the bribery claims were quashed by the investigating agencies and what is happening is a plan to punish Wetang'ula who seems to be the most vocal leader in the opposition.

"Wetang'ula is a fearless leader who won't wait to point at ills being committed by the Jubilee administration and that is why they are hard on him but we are still optimistic that he will be cleared by IEBC," said Mutaki.

Ford Kenya Bungoma branch secretary Peter Wakhuleka said that the bribery claims cannot be substantiated and that's why Wetang'ula was given a chance to vie in the 2013 December by-election that he won.

"These other issues are just but drama and witch hunt because the Jubilee administration feel he is the only elected opposition leader and a threat to their leadership, that is why they are planning to destabilize him so that the opposition remains toothless," said Wakhuleka.

But another resident Jaramogi Wakamala affirmed that it is Wetang'ula himself who went to the Court of appeal to clear his name but the judges upheld the ruling by the then Bungoma high Court Judge Francis Gikonyo which found Wetang'ula guilty of bribing voters.

"He could have kept quiet, let him carry his own cross because he took himself to Kisumu and Nairobi for his name to be cleared over bribery claims but the courts found him culpable of the offense, who should he blame?" posed Jaramogi.

Wetang'ula was represented by lawyers James Orengo and Edwin Sifuna but he was also given a chance to defend himself before the committee during the hearing session.