Former IEBC commissioner Irene Masit flees country over death threats
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Former IEBC commissioner Irene Masit in the August 2022 general elections flees Kenya over threats on her life
Former IEBC commissioner Irene Masit in the August 2022 general elections flees Kenya over threats on her life.
A former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioner, Irene Masit, has fled the country after receiving death threats.
Masit, one of the four commissioners who contested William Ruto’s election as president, left the country on Tuesday.
The threats against Masit began after she was fired from the IEBC by a tribunal.
The tribunal determined that she had engaged in serious misconduct by attending meetings with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s closest associates, during which they allegedly requested that she tamper with the election results.
Masit has refuted the claims, but she claims that she has been the target of death threats from those who blame her for Ruto’s victory.
“I have been receiving unending and chilling death threats,” Masit said in a statement. “I am afraid for my life and the lives of my family.”
Masit’s lawyer, Donald Kipkorir, said that she has reported the threats to the police, but that no action has been taken.
“We have reported the threats to the police, but they have not taken any action,” Kipkorir said. “We are now considering taking legal action against the people who are threatening her.”
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Masit’s destination is unknown, but she is reportedly seeking asylum in a foreign country.
She is the second high-profile IEBC official to flee the country in less than six years. In 2017, Roselyn Akombe also fled the country after receiving death threats.
Akombe’s case is similar to Masit’s in that she was also fired from the IEBC by a tribunal and then received death threats.
Akombe has since said that she believes that the threats against her were politically motivated.
The threats against Masit and Akombe are a reminder of the dangers that IEBC officials face when they challenge the results of an election.
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