Elizabeth Muli will chair the selection Panel for the Appointment of Commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The panel which was sworn-in on Wednesday held its first meeting and issued a roadmap that will see the country fill the four vacant positions at the electoral agency by June this year.
James Awori was elected to deputise Muli during the afternoon meeting at Parliamentary Service Commission’s (PSC) boardroom.
The six-member panel also has Gideon Solonka, Elizabeth Meyo, Rev Joseph Ngumbi and Dr Faradim Abdalla.
LSK representative Dorothy Jemator was not sworn-in following Justice Antony Mrima orders suspending her appointment to the panel.
During the Wednesday meeting, the panel deliberated on the secretariat and administrative arrangements, drafts rules of procedure and work plan.
The team also deliberated on the advertisement of application for the positions of Member of the IEBC.
Muli who read the joint statement announced that the panel will advertise for applications for the positions of Members of the Commission in the Kenya gazette and two newspapers of national circulation on May 1.
The advert will also be posted on the website of the Parliamentary Service Commission.
“The Selection panel will receive applications for a total of 14 days from the date of advertisement,” Muli said.
All the applicants and their qualifications will then be made public.
“The Panel will then begin the shortlisting exercise and will publish the list of the shortlisted candidates on or about 24th May, 2021. This advertisement shall invite the views of the public on the suitability of short-listed candidates’ for a period of seven days,” she said.
She said interviews for the shortlisted candidates will be conducted for five days from May 31 and June 4, a timeline the Panel noted could slightly vary given the number of candidates.
The Panel hopes to settle on the successful candidates and forward the names to President Uhuru Kenyatta on or about 9th June, 2021.
“The Selection panel reiterates that the timelines it has provided are provisional and ambitious but are also achievable,” she said.
IEBC is currently operating with three commissioners after exit of three Commissioners after 2017 elections.
The Commission currently has Chairman Wafula Chebukati; commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye after their colleagues resigned.
Those who resigned are; Roselyn Akombe, Paul Kurgat, Margaret Mwachanya and Connie Maina.