Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioner Francis Wanderi has resigned from the beleaguered polls body days after President William Ruto suspended him and other fellow commissioners.
Wanderi’s resignation follows that of Justus Nyang’aya and IEBC Vice Chair Juliana Cherera both of whom resigned on December 2 and 5 respectively.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Wanderi stated that the decision has been prompted by undue criticism which he claims has tainted his integrity to serve in the commission. “This decision, while extremely difficult and agonizing for myself and my family, has been necessitated by undue and unwarranted public lynching based on falsified information, fainting my reputation and integrity,” read part of the statement.
“As I tender this resignation, I do so not because there comes a time when the country is more important than any individual, including my own aspirations to see our electoral processes mirror those of democracies more advanced than us,” he wrote.
“Unless the governance issues within the commission are addressed my resignation and that of my colleagues will not help the country achieve its democratic and electoral reform aspirations.”
Wanderi further thanked President Ruto for the opportunity to “serve the country diligently.”
