A total of 1,848 Kenyans have applied for the positions of chairperson and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The Selection Panel for the recruitment of nominees for appointment as chairperson and members of IEBC said the figure consists of applications hand-delivered to the secretariat and those submitted via email.
The panel’s chairperson Nelson Makanda said they have commenced the process of verification and will be issuing the long list comprising all the names of the applicants, in accordance with paragraph 3(1) of the First Schedule of the IEBC Act.
“The panel would like to reassure the public that, members of the Selection Panel are committed to conducting a fair and transparent process,” he said in a press statement.
The application process for the positions of the chairperson and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) came to a close on February 15, 2025, at 5 p.m.
Makanda further assured that the panel shall keep the public informed at all stages of the recruitment exercise.
On February 11, 2025, Makanda announced that a new electoral commission will be in place by April 25.
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.
On January 27, the panel was tasked with selecting the next team of seven IEBC commissioners within 85 days.
The nine-member panel also includes Dr Fatuma Saman, Prof Adams Oloo, James Misati, Nicodemus Bore, Koki Muli, Andrew Tanui and Caroline Kituku as members.
President William 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 lack of commissioners has hampered the IEBC as it could not review constituency boundaries as required by the law or hold by-elections.
