The High Court has upheld the convictions of former IEBC officials James Oswago and Wilson Sholei, who were found guilty of irregularly awarding a Ksh1.3 billion tender for voter materials during the 2013 General Election.
In the ruling delivered on Wednesday, Justice Nixon Sifuna affirmed that the prosecution successfully proved its case against former IEBC CEO Oswago and former Deputy Commission Secretary for Support Services, Wilson Kiprotich Shollei. Both officials were previously sentenced in December 2022 to either pay a Ksh.7.5 million fine or serve a four-year prison term for two counts, after being found guilty of abuse of office and failing to comply with procurement laws.
Following the initial judgment, Oswago and Sholei appealed the decision, but Justice Sifuna reiterated that they were responsible for upholding procurement laws, emphasizing that such regulations are essential and must not be disregarded. "These sentences are neither harsh, excessive, illegal, nor unreasonable," Justice Sifuna stated, adding that there was no basis to overturn the lower court's decision.
This case is part of the larger ‘Chickengate’ scandal, in which coded “chicken” deals were used to facilitate irregular printing contract awards. The IEBC was accused of awarding a tender for Electronic Voter Identification Devices (EVID) Kits and Accessories to Face Technologies Ltd. Oswago and Kiprotich faced charges alongside Edward Kenga Karisa and Willy Gachanja Kamanga, both of whom were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
