Parliament approves four IEBC nominees

The four await President's appointment before joining the Chebukati-led Commission. [File, Standard]

The National Assembly has approved four nominees to be commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The four, Juliana Wihonge Chirera, Francis Mathenge Wanderi, Irene Cherop Masit, and Justice Abonyo Nyangaya, await President Uhuru Kenyatta’s appointment before taking oath later on.

National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, chaired by Kangema Member of Parliament Muturi Kigano, had interviewed the nominees and presented a report to Parliament for debate after the president forwarded their names for vetting in the August house.

Interviews to fill the four vacant positions of commissioners at the electoral agency kicked off early July with 36 candidates facing the selection panel in the fort-night long exercise.

A week before, the 36 individuals undertook a psychometric test.

They are set to replace Roselyn Akombe, Margaret Mwachanya, Paul Kurgat, and former vice-chair Consolata Maina who resigned from the commission mysteriously after the 2017 General Election.