Azimio Names Ex-AG Amos Wako To Head 2022 Presidential Results Audit Team

The Azimio la Umoja coalition has named former Attorney General Amos Wako to lead a three-man team tasked with representing the coalition in the 2022 Presidential election audit panel.

The other two include former nominated senator Judith Pareno and forensic investigator Julius Njiriani.

Addressing the media on Monday, March 11, National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi announced that he communicated the appointments by Azimio to Speaker Moses Wetangula.

“I have today written to the Speaker of the National Assembly conveying the names of three persons who will be members of the panel that will oversee the evaluation of the 2022 electoral process.

Kimani Ichung'wah and Kalonzo Musyoka present Raila Odinga the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report at the Capitol Hill offices in Nairobi on March 8, 2024. /KALONZO MUSYOKA

"The names are; Amos Wako, Judith Pareno and Julius Njiraini,” said Wandayi.

This comes three days after the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) submitted its report to President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga.

The naming of the three members came in adherence to recommendations in the NADCO report. On November 25, 2023, NADCO recommended that the leadership of the majority and minority coalitions appoint a panel to evaluate the 2022 electoral process within 21 days of the adoption of the report by Parliament.

President Ruto's Kenya Kwanza coalition was yet to make public their appointments to the audit panel.

The Panel shall jointly appoint a reputable firm or a consortium of firms to undertake the evaluation. If there is no agreement on the joint appointment of a firm, each side of the panel shall appoint a reputable firm to undertake the evaluation.

The two firms shall coordinate the evaluation process. After the conduct of the evaluation process, the Panel shall harmonize the findings of the two firms and submit the harmonized report to Parliament.

"With respect to the evaluation of the electoral process under Article 88(4) (h) after a general election, the Elections Act, 2011 be amended to provide for the scope of the evaluation, financing, and reporting," the report highlighted in part.

The evaluation of the 2022 elections was a hot potato heavily championed by the Azimio side as they have time and again asked for a forensic audit of the 2022 presidential election.

They had also proposed the audit be made public so that Kenyans could know the 'truth' about the elections.

The National Assembly endorsed the findings of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) in February. This report was originally presented to the House on December 7, 2023, by Kimani Ichung’wah, Leader of the Majority Party and Co-Chairperson of NADCO. 

So far nine bills have been proposed in the National Assembly to facilitate the implementation of the report.

Last week, the Raila Odinga-led coalition claimed that forces within the Kenya Kwanza regime were dedicated to ensuring that the report was undermined in Parliament before it could sail through.

“Regrettably, we have also been informed of forces in Kenya Kwanza, in and outside parliament, who are determined to undermine the report. We notify those forces that should any efforts to undermine or tamper with the report succeed, there will be a very heavy price to pay,” stated Azimio.

“In this regard, we call on Hon. William Ruto to rein in the Speakers of the two houses of Parliament and a number of members of the National Executive who are hell-bent on derailing NADCO.”