KENYA -The Jubilee Party has appointed former electoral commissioner and Davis Chirchir as its chief agent for the August 8 polls.
Secretary-General Raphael Tuju on Monday confirmed the appointment of Mr Chirchir, who is also former Energy Cabinet Secretary in the Jubilee government.
DEPUTY
Former Independent Interim Electoral Commission Commissioner Winnie Guchu, Mr Tuju said, will deputise Mr Chirchir.
“Jubilee has settled for Mr Chirchir as its chief agent and will be assisted by Ms Guchu,” Mr Tuju told the Nation.
Mr Chirchir is the former Energy Cabinet who is an old hand in electoral matters, especially the information technology work platforms at IEBC.
Mr Chirchir was among the five Cabinet secretaries that President Kenyatta sacked over corruption allegations, though the Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption cleared him.
‘CHICKENGATE’
He was also questioned by EACC, but not charged, over the ‘Chickengate’ scandal, in which a British security printing firm, Smith & Ouzman was found to have bribed several electoral commission officials in order to win a tender.
Currently, Ms Guchu is the Jubilee party executive director, having resigned her position as a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
She assumed the Jubilee position with a wealth of knowledge and inner workings of the judiciary, having served for two years.
The judiciary is an important player in the elections as it could be called upon to handle petitions resulting from a contested presidential election result.
NASA
Ms Guchu is a former member of Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC), the predecessor of the current Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, which now conducts elections and referendums in the country.
Until March 2015 when President Kenyatta appointed her to the JSC in place of Prof Christine Mango, who had retired from the commission in 2013, Ms Guchu was the TNA executive director and played a critical role in ensuring the election of President Kenyatta.
On Friday, the National Super Alliance (Nasa) appointed Senator James Orengo as the coalition’s chief agent for the elections.
Mr Orengo, will be deputised by Nasa Chief Executive Officer Norman Magaya.
©Daily Nation
