Editor's Review

"There are some of the things we cannot say on camera because it is not a safe space for all of us." 

Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners Juliana Cherera and Irene Masit have revealed that they fled the country after the 2022 general elections for their safety. 

Speaking virtually to the National Dialogue Committee on Thursday 28 September, Cherera said she had been threatened, forcing her to leave the country.

The former IEBC vice chairperson noted that she could not divulge some of the information on what happened after the 2022 polls.

“I have a young family,my last born is 7 years old. It was bad even in school. Our social life really changed. It was bad for my children and my family. There are some of the things we cannot say on camera because it is not a safe space for all of us. We have been threatened just because we spoke what we saw and what we know,” said Cherera.

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File image of the Cherera four former IEBC Commissioners

Masit, for her part, said she had been accused of betraying President William Ruto because she is from the Rift Valley region.

"I am out of the country for security reasons, remember I come from Rift Valley, some said that I betrayed the President in social media. I have never stepped in my home since that time, I have never even gone to Nairobi,” Masit stated.

The revelations come a month after Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga revealed that the two former IEBC commissioners were hiding in the US.

"The 2022 general election referees said that dissented presidential results have all been dismissed. As we are speaking here, two of them, Madam Cherera and Madam Masit, are in the United States; they fled because they were being sought after and their lives were in danger,” Raila said on August 15.

Cherera resigned from IEBC on December 5, 2022, after she was suspended by President Ruto. Masit on the other hand was fired by Ruto following recommendations by a tribunal that was chaired by Justice Aggrey Muchelule.