Relax, we are in control, Marjan says as he takes IEBC hot seat

IEBC CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan during an interview at his office on March 10, 2022. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

The substantive chief of the polls agency is no stranger to the job. Mr Hussein Marjan has held the role in an acting capacity for nearly four years. 

He joined the Independent, Electoral, and Boundaries Commission in April 2015. Mr Marjan has been at the commission long enough to recall circumstances that led to the exit of his predecessor Mr Ezra Chiloba, and those that saw the previous commission, led by former chairperson Mr Isaak Hassan, hounded out of office. 

The memory of the weekly demonstrations outside the commission’s offices in 2016 christened Teargas Monday is fresh in his mind. Similar demonstrations in 2017 staged to agitate for the removal of the Wafula Chebukati-led team are more vivid.

Perched on the 15th floor of Anniversary Towers, Mr Marjan would have a perfect view of the adjacent University Way if similar protests recur. But the 54-year-old is not too concerned about that. The task ahead, overseeing a transition election, is no mean feat. 

“The most critical thing I am currently steering is developing the register of voters,” Mr Marjan said during the interview.

The exercise involves adding the 2.5 million recently enlisted voters into the register. It also entails auditing the register, a process the IEBC must conduct to avoid a last-minute rush.

“The law requires that the register should be ready 60 days before the election,” Mr Marjan said.

He added that the process will be completed in time for Kenyans to confirm their registration details, asserting that the other processes the commission has undertaken, such as tendering for electoral materials, have been above board.

His is a job few Kenyans would want, first because of the challenge associated with any role within the IEBC.

The murder of ICT manager Mr Chris Msando, who was in charge of the 2017 computerised voting system, still haunts the commission. He was found dead in July, a few days before the August 8 elections. The autopsy showed he had been tortured to death. 

Mr Marjan said: “It was particularly sad for me because I had recruited him.” The escape of former commissioner Roselyne Akombe on her way to inspect ballot printing in Dubai underscored the perilous job of an IEBC official.

Mr Marjan coordinated the 2017 fresh presidential election when he was deputy CEO.

At the time, ODM leader Raila Odinga had pulled out of the contest after the Supreme Court nullified the initial election.

The high stakes in this year’s polls promise a tougher assignment. Mr Marjan says the commission will deliver credible elections on August 9. “Kenyans should relax, we are in control,” he said.

The two people who have held his position, Mr Chiloba and Mr James Oswago, left under acrimonious circumstances. Both were accused by the opposition of bungling the 2017 and 2013 elections.

But Mr Marjan said, “It is a job that a few people can do but we need people to do it.”

Questioned on why the IEBC has rarely inspired trust from many quarters, Mr Marjan said: “There haven’t been any protests recently.”

He said citizens have become more confident in the IEBC after the 2017 election. While there haven’t been any protests against the IEBC, that was not the case last year when Mr Odinga’s ODM wanted Mr Chebukati’s team kicked out.

Recent remarks by Deputy President William Ruto over alleged plans to influence the polls may see the IEBC encounter turbulence.

“There will always be challenges. But we have learnt from our predecessors’ mistakes and we have put up necessary measures to address them,” Mr Marjan added.