I wished Raila become President - former IEBC Chairman

By Peter Ochieng 

Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan wished for a Raila Odinga presidency.

Hassan says he had so much respect for Odinga ahead of the 2013 presidential contest, that he wished he won the race to State House, to succeed Mwai Kibaki.

However, the former Prime Minister lost the contest to retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Speaking on Citizen TV's JKL Show on Wednesday night, Hassan said he had to declare Kenyatta the fourth president, because that was the will of the people.

"As the chairman of the electoral commission, I only announced the will of the people; the results of the elections. That for me was a very difficult time but what can you do? That is the game, the name of the game so it was never personal,” said the ex IEBC boss.

Hassan said the country needed to test Odinga as the Head of State.

"If anyone I have respect and gratitude to, is him. And I really would have wished for him to win the elections to become our president because we needed to test his presidency.”

He said he respected Odinga, because at the time as a Member of Parliament and Prime Minister, the ODM party leader was among people who helped him become the first IEBC Chairman.

“I have a lot of respect for the Prime Minister and in my first job as the Commissioner of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC) and he was the chairman of the parliamentary select Committee on the Constitution; they interviewed us and I was among those selected from North Eastern Province."

“That was one thing I say I tried to give him credit; there are times people would try and interfere with our nominations but he refused. I then became the chairman of AIC and then of IEBC with his support," he added.

Hassan has written a book titled Referee of a Dirty, Ugly Game, detailing his experience as boss of the poll's body.

He left office as IEBC Chair ahead of the 2017 general elections.