The four embattled Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners dubbed ‘Cherera Four’ were booked into an exclusive hotel apartments in Kilimani, new evidence has shown.

Yaya Apartments and Hotel

The evidence tabled before a tribunal investigating their conduct has revealed that the four; IEBC vice-chairperson Juliana Cherera, commissioners Justus Nyang’aya, Francis Wanderi, and Irene Masit were booked into Yaya Apartments and Hotel by Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition party.

The besieged IEBC commissioners are said to have checked into the hotel on August 15, 2022 at about 8:36pm and checked out on August 19 at about 3:00pm.

Apartment booking

According to Nation, Yaya Apartments management has presented logs that show the four officials’ bookings were done by a person identified as Edwin Ong’ong’a Ogwe.

Mr Ogwe did not accompany the commissioners when they checked in after holding a press conference at the Serena Hotel, in which they distanced themselves from presidential election results declared at Bomas of Kenya by IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati.

Mr Ogwe went to the apartments the following day, August 16, to pay for the rooms.

CCTV Footage

The hotel has released to the tribunal’s lead counsel Peter Murage the visitors’ book, the log-in details as well as CCTV footage and identity of some of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leaders who visited the commissioners at the apartments and payment vouchers.

The Azimio officials included the secretary-general of a party in the coalition, the personal assistant of one of the party leaders who is also a member of the Azimio Council, as well as a leading operative in the outfit’s executive council.

Four petitioners want the four commissioners kicked out of the IEBC for rejecting the presidential election results announced by Mr Chebukati on August 15, when he declared Dr Ruto the winner of the hotly contested elections against his main challenger, Raila Odinga. 

The tribunal led by Court of Appeal judge Aggrey Muchelule fixed the hearing date during a status conference on Friday last week after the tribunal overruled Ms Masit’s objections on the proceedings.

She had argued that she has a pending court case that has a bearing on the tribunal’s proceedings. The tribunal, however, ruled that there was no stay order from the court suspending the hearings.