Raphael Tuju, the Executive Director of Azimio, admitted on Sunday that he met with IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati on August 15. Other IEBC commissioners were also present at the meeting.
Tuju, on the other hand, stated that the meeting did not take place at 3 a.m., as stated in the affidavit filed by Commissioner Abdi Guliye.
Tuju stated that he met with Chebukati to discuss reports he had received regarding the swapping of form 34As.
“The issue had brought up with him (Guliye) was that I had received intelligence from one of the IEBC officials, who complained that some form 34As were being brought down and they were being replaced by other form 34As,” he said.
This was after he determined that Guliye was unable to address the issue. The director stated that the official had no idea where the swapping was taking place.
He stated that after receiving the report, he forwarded it to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), which interviewed the official.
Tuju said the official said he had brought the issue up with IEBC CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan who brushed him off with a threat.
Tuju claims that the official raised the issue with one of his superiors, who later told him (Tuju) that their hands were tied. This prompted him to go in search of Chebukati.
He was, however, denied access to the IEBC chairperson because he was said to be busy receiving reports from Returning Officers (ROs).
“I had concerns about that because he was closed in that room with Mr Molu (Commissioner Molu Boya) and Mr Marjan and therefore it was obvious to me that something opaque was taking place,” he added.
According to the former Jubilee Secretary General, Chebukati had ordered all County ROs to report to him first before the papers could be verified.
He also stated that he left and returned at 8 a.m., but was told to return at 2 p.m.
“I came back at 2 and he was sleeping.. So I waited until 4am. That is the time that I drew the attention of somebody like Amos Wako, who is a personal friend, and a few others, that we should go and confront him.”
Tuju dismissed the claims that when they finally met he made offers to the officials.
“In the meeting, we were ten of us in that room and for him to claim that I made some offers to him is a tarradiddle; petty lie….I want Chebukati to explain to me, to Kenyans when he came to a secret location to see me in Karen, what that discussion was about?.”
