The nine-member tribunal appointed by President William Ruto to probe the conduct of four suspended IEBC Commissioners will hold its status conference on Friday.

The tribunal led by Appellate Court Judge Aggrey Muchelule will hold the conference at a time three of the four troubled commissioners have resigned.

Commissioner Francis Wanderi was the latest to tender his resignation on Thursday.   

In a letter dated December 7, 2022, Commissioner Wanderi attributed his resignation to undue and unwarranted public lynching based on falsified information that has tainted his reputation and integrity.

“As I tender my resignation today, I do so, not because I am guilty of the allegations levelled against me by the petitioners, but because there comes a time when the country is more important than any individual, including my own aspirations as a Kenyan to see our electoral processes mirror those of democracies more advanced than us,” Wanderi said in a letter addressed to the Head of State.

IEBC Vice Chairperson Juliana Cherera and Commissioner Justus Nyang’aya have equally tendered their resignations.

With the tribunal set to hold its status conference on Friday, all eyes are now on Irene Masit who is the only commissioner left standing of the “Cherera 4.”

It remains unclear whether the three commissioners will still be required to appear before the tribunal even after they resigned and this will no doubt only become clearer at the status conference.

President William Ruto appointed the nine-member tribunal to probe their conduct after they disowned the results announced by IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati in the last poll.

The tribunal was sworn-in by Chief Justice Martha Koome at the Supreme Court buildings last Friday.

Other members of the tribunal are Carolyne Kamende Daudi, Linda Gakii Kiome, Mathew Njaramba Nyabena and Col (rtd) Saeed Khamis Saeed.

Kibet Kirui Emmanuel and Irene Tunta Nchoe will serve as the tribunal’s Joint Secretaries while Peter Munge Murage will be Lead Counsel assisted by Zamzam Abdi Abib.

The tribunal members were appointed after the National Assembly pursuant to Article 251 of the Constitution transmitted to the President a petition seeking the removal of the four.