New IEBC will be in office by April— selection panel
IEBC selection panel Chairperson Nelson Makanda (center), Vice Chairperson Lindah Kiome (left) and other panelists, during a media briefing at Enashipai Resort in Naivasha, Nakuru County on February 11, 2025.
What you need to know:
- After the shortlisting and interviews,the team will submit names of qualified candidates to President William Ruto for nomination.
- President Ruto will then nominate one person for appointment as chairman and six persons for appointment as members.
A new Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC) will be in place by April 25, the selection panel picked to constitute the team has said.
The team led by Dr Nelson Makanda made the revelations on Tuesday at the Enashipai Resort in Naivasha, where it has been meeting.
"We have so far received 339 applications for the seven positions advertised, including that of the chairman of the electoral body. We, as the selection panel, have undertaken to ensure that we deliver on our mandate of giving Kenyans the next chairperson and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission by April 25," stated Dr Makanda.
Most of the applications were made online, according to the team.
"The names of all applicants and the interview schedule of short-listed candidates will be published in the print media, the Kenya Gazette, and the Parliamentary Service Commission Website, further said Dr Makanda.
The team's vice chairperson Lindah Kilome assured Kenyans that the panel would carry out the recruitment process in a fair, transparent, and impartial way.
"The public can rely on the media for updates on the process.We will continuously issue updates to the country on the progress of this exercise,”stated Ms Kilome.
After the shortlisting and interviews,the team will submit names of qualified candidates to President William Ruto for nomination.
President Ruto will then nominate one person for appointment as chairman and six persons for appointment as members.
Within seven days ,the names will be submitted to the National Assembly for approval before being formally appointed.
Early this month ,the selection panel officially invited applications for the position of IEBC chairperson and six commissioners. Qualified Kenyans were asked to send their applications to the team until Saturday, February 15.
"The selection panel for the recruitment of nominees for the appointment as the Chairperson and Commissioners of the IEBC invites applications from qualified persons who satisfy the provisions of the Constitution and the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission Act," read part of the notice issued on February 1.
In an official notice, the selection panel chairperson, Dr Nelson Makanda, outlined the requirements that all qualified applicants must meet.
According to the panel,Kenyans wishing to serve in the position of IEBC chairperson must have at least 15 years of experience as a superior court judge or at least 15 years of experience as a distinguished academic, judicial officer, legal practitioner, or such experience in other legally relevant fields.
The candidate must also have met the leadership and integrity requirements as outlined in Chapter Six of the Constitution, among other important qualifications.
To be a member of IEBC, one needs to hold a degree from a recognised university, have proven knowledge, and have at least 10 years of experience in electoral matters, management, finance, governance, public administration, law, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), accounting, and meet the requirements in Chapter six of the constitution.
The panel was last month tasked with selecting the next team of seven IEBC commissioners within 85 days.
The nine -member IEBC Selection panel also includes Dr Fatuma Saman, Prof Adams Oloo,Mr James Misati,Mr Nicodemus Bore,Dr Koki Muli, Mr Andrew Tanui and Caroline Kituku as members.
On January 27, 2025, President Ruto appointed the members of the Selection Panel, who took their oaths of office before Chief Justice Martha Koome, as required by the Third Schedule of the IEBC Act.
The team is under pressure to undertake the recruitment which includes; shortlisting, and conducting interviews, before submitting names of qualified candidates to President William Ruto for appointment.
The recruitment of new IEBC commissioners has been a lengthy and controversial process due to several issues since some of the commissioners led by Wafula Chebukati resigned.
In January 2023, the terms of the former chairperson and commissioners Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu expired.
Three others -Juliana Cherera, Justus Nyang'aya and Francis Wanderi resigned, while Ms Irene Masit was dismissed after a tribunal process.
The lack of commissioners has hampered the IEBC as it could not review constituency boundaries as required by the law or hold by-elections that have now exceeded Constitutional requirements in three constituencies and several wards across the country.
Some Vacant senior management positions in the commission could also not be filled.