Former IEBC chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan recently went on media interviews to talk about his book, ‘Referee of a Dirty Ugly Game’ after five years of total silence.
The commissioner, who oversaw the 2013 elections, writes in his memoir about his upbringing, education and his professional journey before being thrust into a position that would forever alter his destiny. He gives his account of the Kenyan elections from an ‘insider’ point of view.
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The book details the ups and downs that he faced as the chairperson of IEBC, during the 2013 elections, letting readers in on the behind-the-scenes of electoral management in Kenya. In an interview with Jeff Koinange, the former commissioner said:
“I was the face of the results announcement. For the election of a president, the chairman is the returning officer, so that kind of marks you as the face of either the success or the failure by the other group. When you have 50% of the country voting for one person and the other 50% voting for another candidate, you are obviously going to annoy a group. I faced the wrath of those 50%.”
The book offers a different perspective on the commissioner’s life in his own words. Hassan writes about the impact of the position on not only his career but also his physical and mental health. Kenyans have lauded the commissioner for being straightforward in his book and having the courage to speak up about the victimization of electoral officials. In his book, Hassan writes:
Electoral Commissioners have become endangered species, dealing with very dangerous people called politicians.
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Despite the challenges highlighted in the commissioner’s book, Isaack Hassan still says that he is passionate about election and electoral work despite being a practising lawyer.
