President William Ruto has constituted the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection panel.
In a gazette notice dated January 27, Ruto appointed nine members to the Selection Panel for the recruitment of nominees for as the Chairperson and Members of the IEBC.
Among them include Kiome Lindah Gakii, Oloo Adams (Prof.), James Evans Misati and Nicodemus Kipchirchir Bore.
Other members of the Koki Muli Grignon (Amb.), Carolene Kituku,Tanui Andrew Kipkoech, Dr. Nelson Makanda and Fatuma Saman.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 7A of the IEBC Act, as read with paragraph 1 (2) of the First Schedule to the Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint…. to be Members of the Selection Panel for the Recruitment of nominees for appointment as the Chairperson and Members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission,” reads the gazette notice.
Ruto revoked the appointments of the Members of the Selection Panel made through Gazette Notice No. 2641 of 2023.
The appointment follows a High Court decision on January 24 that lifted the earlier court orders barring their appointment.
Ruto appointed a seven-member selection panel on February 27, 2023.
This was two weeks after he declared vacancies at the electoral body allowing for the recruitment of new commissioners.
He picked Bethuel Sugut, Novince Euralia Atieno, Charity S. Kisotu, Evans Misati James, Benson Ngugi Njeri, Nelson Makanda and Fatuma Saman to lead the exercise.
IEBC Amendment Bill
In January 2023, Ruto signed the IEBC (Amendment) Bill 2022 into law. This action paved the way for forming a seven-member selection panel to recruit new commissioners.
The Selection Panel included representatives from the Parliamentary Service Commission, the Public Service Commission (PSC), the Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC), the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), and the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya.
The Bill allocated two members (a man and a woman) each to the Parliamentary Service Commission and the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya, while the PSC, PPLC, and LSK each nominated one member to the panel.
Also Read: Kalonzo Drops IEBC Bombshell on 2027 Dirty Deals
Pressure to Form Selection Panel
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Kalonzo Musyoka have been pushing Ruto to create the Selection Panel.
Speaking on January 26, Gachagua emphasized that the IEBC should be established three years before the general elections.
He also criticized the IEBC Secretariat for halting the continuous voter registration process.
“Now that the High Court has cleared the matter, we ask the president to quickly make sure that the panel is established then they can advertise, interview commissioners, they get into office and start preparing for the next elections,” Gachagua said.
Also Read: Court Clears Way for IEBC Formation
IEBC Commissioners Retirement & Resignations
Wafula Chebukati, Boya Mulu and Abdi Guliye retired from the Commission in January 2023 after six years of service.
This came after Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, and Justus Nyang’aya resigned.
However, Irene Masit was removed from officed in February 2023 after refusing to resign.
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