Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya coalition party Executive Director Raphael Tuju has denied an alleged attempt to influence the outcome of the August 9 presidential poll.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati and commissioner Abdi Yakub Guliye on Saturday, August 27, alleged, in affidavits filed in court, that Tuju and a section of Azimio leaders wanted the electoral body to moderate results of the presidential poll announced on Monday, August 15.
Speaking to members of the press at Upper Hill on Sunday, August 28, Tuju admitted to having met Chebukati in the wee hours of Monday, August 15. He was in the company of outgoing Busia Senator Amos Wako.
He, however, denied claims that he offered IEBC officials led by the chairman a reward to alter the results in favour of Azimio flag bearer Raila Odinga.
According to the former Jubilee party secretary general, he met Chebukati and six IEBC commissioners at around 4:00 am and not 3:00 am as claimed by Guliye.
“I’d like to start by admitting that I was at Bomas of Kenya several times and the meeting which they say took place at 3 O’clock happened at 4am,” Tuju said.
Tuju disclosed that the purpose of his visit was to discuss with the IEBC boss reports that someone was swapping Form 34As on the commission portal.
“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 added.
Tuju said he received the reports from a terrified IEBC official.
Apparently, the young man had tried sharing the details with the commission CEO Hussein Marjan, who allegedly brushed off his concerns.
“This gentleman was so terrified and he actually mentioned the case that he had been threatened by Marjan when he brought it up with him that he should not play with him, he will know who Marjan is,” he said.
Tuju gets audience with Chebukati
Tuju says he managed to get an audience with Chebukati after several failed attempts, including one in which he was physically blocked by a senior police officer. He was forced to use the back door to see Chebukati.
“He actually physically blocked me from trying to trying to get into IEBC proceedings at Bomas of Kenya that day,” Tuju added.
“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?”
While refuting the poll interference claims, the former Rarieda MP claimed that it commissioners Guliye Boya Molu who approached him with a request for bribes.
“I want Prof. Guliye to explain to Kenyans what they came to do in my house and what the discussion was about. The drift of that discussion was more of auctioneers rather than Commissioners.”
“I want them to say they never came to my house; I will make the CCTV cameras available at my house in order to be investigated by DCI whether I’m saying the truth or not because to my house they came,” he said.
