Interviews for IEBC bosses kick off tomorrow

Obadiah Keitany ,IEBC's Deputy Commission Secretary _ Support Services before the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) in consideration of the 2025 Budget Policy statement at Continental House, Parliament, Nairobi. February 25th,2025.[Elvis Ogina, Standard]

The stage is set for the vetting of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials with the interviews beginning tomorrow.

As the country embarks on a new election cycle, the IEBC selection panel will be steering the interview process at the Edge Convention Centre of the College of Insurance in Nairobi.

The interviews, which will be seeking to fill the vacancies left by the late former IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati’s team, will run in two phases. Candidates for the chairperson role will be interviewed from March 24 to March 26. The selection of commissioners will follow immediately and will take place from March 26 to April 24.  

Former judge of the East African Court Charles Nyachae, former Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Anne Amadi, Mr Abdulqadir Lorot H. Ramadhan and Mr Edward Katama Ngeywa, are set to appear before the interview panel between 8:30am and 4:30pm tomorrow.

On Tuesday, the Nelson Makanda-led panel will be grilling the group comprising of Erastus Edung Ethekon, Francis Kakai Kissinger, former Nairobi County Assembly Clerk Jacob Ngwele Muvengei and Joy Brenda Masinde-Mdivo, the Kenya Power board chair.

The last day, March 26, will see Lillian Wanjiku Manegene, Robert Akumu Asembo and Saul Simiyu Wasilwa also face the panel.

The process is expected to assess the candidates’ experience, integrity, and strategic vision for strengthening Kenya’s electoral framework.

Shortlisted candidates must present valid clearance certificates from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Higher Education Loans Board, the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Commission for University Education (for applicants with foreign degrees), and any registered Credit Reference Bureau.

It, however, remains to be seen how the panel will handle some key developments that could impact the process. One such is a petition lodged by the Kenya Youth Organisation expressing reservations on Charles Nyachae’s suitability to chair IEBC.

Ahead of the oral interviews, the organisation submitted a memorandum to the panel, raising objections against Nyachae’s candidature. It claimed that Nyachae’s background and qualifications do not align with the expectations outlined in Chapter Six of the 2010 Constitution, which provides the ethical and moral standards for leadership and integrity in public office.

The group also outlined the perceived lack of transparency in Nyachae’s past actions and professional conduct.

It further raised concerns that Nyachae’s professional history may not meet the stringent ethical requirements outlined in the 2010 Constitution, thus placing into question his ability to serve impartially and without prejudice.

Consequently, it urged the selection panel to take into consideration the diverse views and concerns of the public in order to ensure that the candidate chosen to lead the IEBC is viewed as credible and trustworthy by all Kenyans.

There is also the recent appointment of the IEBC selection panel’s vice chairperson, Linda Kiome, as Meru’s Deputy Governor last week.