The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has explained how it arrived at the nomination of Treasury CS John Mbadi’s replacement for the National Assembly seat he previously held before his appointment as Cabinet Secretary.
In a statement dated Wednesday, July 30, 2025, the electoral body stated that the decision to fill Mbadi’s vacated slot was made procedurally.
“The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has publicly expressed concerns regarding the Commission’s decision to re-allocate the party list seat vacated by Hon. John Mbadi, claiming that the process was neither procedural nor lawful. Respectfully, this is not accurate,” read part of the statement.
IEBC Explains Why it Hand Picked Harold Kipchumba
According to the electoral body, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party publicly expressed concerns regarding its decision to re-allocate the party list seat vacated by John Mbadi, claiming that the process was neither procedural nor lawful. This prompted the Commission to explain why it picked Harold Kipchumba as Mbadi’s replacement.
The Commission stated that the party list it used had been submitted by ODM on July 23, 2022, subsequently published in newspapers on July 27, 2022, and uploaded on the IEBC website.
Further the Commission explained that Section 37 of the Elections Act and Regulation 56B of the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012, stipulate that a party list seat that falls vacant shall be re-allocated to the next qualified nominee in order of gender and priority, as originally submitted by the political party.
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In this case, according to the Commission, the nominee who qualified under the law was Harold Kimuge Kipchumba, who is of the same gender as Treasury CS and was next in line on the submitted list.
Additionally, the Commission stated that it reaffirmed this position in its formal response to ODM dated July 28 2025.
“To promote transparency, a redacted extract of the ODM party list submitted on 23rd July 2022 is attached, in compliance with the Data Protection Act,” the Commission added.
ODM Youth League Rejects Commission’s Appointment
Moreover, the IEBC reiterated that its decision to select Harold Kipchumba was made procedurally.
“The Constitution demands fairness, equity, and respect for legitimate expectations. The Commission’s decision in this matter was fully compliant with these constitutional principles and relevant statutory provisions.
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We urge all political parties and the public at large to support the Commission in upholding the integrity of electoral processes,” the Commission stated.
The Commission’s clarification comes after a section of ODM party’s Youth League rejected the gazettement of Harold Kipchumba Kimuge as a nominated MP to replace John Mbadi.
The ODM members accused the Commission of disregarding the nomination of John Ketora to the role.
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