President William Ruto has reappointed the new Chairperson and six Commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) following the High Court’s nullification of his previous gazette notice.
In a gazette notice No. 9269, dated July 10, Ruto appointed Erastus Edung Ethekon as the IEBC chairman for six years.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 250 (2) as read with section 5 (2) of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act and Paragraph 4 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 Erastus Edung Ethekon to be the Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission,” the notice reads.
In a separate Gazette Notice No. 9270, also dated July 10, 2025, Ruto named six individuals to serve as IEBC commissioners for a six-year term.
The appointees are Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, Francis Odhiambo Aduol, and Fahima Araphat Abdallah.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 250 (2) as read with section 5 (2) of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act and Paragraph 4 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 Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, Francis Odhiambo Aduol, Fahima Araphat Abdallah to be members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, for a period of six years,” read the notice.
Court Upholds IEBC Chairperson and Commissioners Nomination
In a ruling on July 10, the High Court upheld the nomination of the IEBC chairperson and commissioners but ruled their appointment and gazettement were unconstitutional.
A three-judge bench comprising Justices Bahati Mwamuye, John Chigiti, and Roselyne Aburili found that President Ruto violated conservatory orders issued by Justice Lawrence Mugambi by gazetting the nominees, rendering the appointments null and void.
Also Read: Court Nullifies Notice on Appointment of IEBC Commissioners
“The Gazette Notices were published in direct violation of the interim conservatory orders issued by this court on May 29, and are hereby quashed,” the judges ruled.
The judges quashed the notice, necessitating fresh publication in line with the judgment and in accordance with the law.
“With the lifting of the conservatory orders, upon dismissal of the petition, the appointing authority is at liberty to take necessary appropriate constitutional steps,” the bench ruled.
Also Read: Erastus Edung Profile: Age, Education, Career & Net Worth
Petition Challenging Nomination
However, the Court dismissed a petition challenging the legality of the selection and nomination of the new Chairperson and Commissioners of IEBC.
Activist Kevin Roy Omondi and human rights defender Boniface Mwangi filed the petition on May 15, 2025.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
