IEBC commissioners: Former City Hall Transport CEC Mohammed Dagane among 105 shortlisted

Former Nairobi County Transport CEC Mohammed Dagane is among 105 shortlisted candidates for the IEBC commissioner’s position.

Ahead of the interviews to be conducted by the selection panel for the positions of chairpersons and commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) from next week, Dagane will join a studded line up of candidates with 32 of them being women.

The ex-CEC who served under the former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko is a governance expert with over 17 years of leadership and management experience in the public and private sectors. During his tenure at City Hall, he served as an executive committee member for roads, transport, and public works. He also served in the health, environment, water, and national resources departments as CEC.

 Ann Njeri Nderitu, the current Registrar of Political Parties and CEO of the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP), is also a key contender for the commissioner position.

At the same time, the selection panel has shortlisted 11 persons for the IEBC chairperson following the exit of Wafula Chebukati whose term expired in January 2023.

According to an advertisement published in the dailies, those selected include the immediate former Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, Anne Amadi and Former Judge of the East African Court, Charles Nyachae.  Former Nairobi County Assembly Clerk Jacob Ngwele Muvengei is also in the line up as a potential Chebukati successor.

Interviews for the chairperson of the commission run from Monday, March 24, 2025, to Wednesday, March 26, 2025 while those for commissioner positions will follow from Thursday, March 27, to Thursday, April 24, 2025.

 Notably Nyachae, Amadi, Abdulqadir Lorot H. Ramadhan, and Edward Katama Ngeywa will face the interview panel on Monday with their sessions scheduled between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.

On Tuesday, the group comprising Erastus Edung Ethekon, Francis Kakai Kissinger, Jacob Ngwele Muvengei, and Joy Brenda Masinde-Mdivo will appear before the panel. The last day, March 26, will see Lillian Wanjiku Manegene, Robert Akumu Asembo, and Saul Simiyu Wasilwa interviewed.

Selection panel chairperson Nelson Makanda announced that shortlisted candidates must present valid clearance certificates from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Commission for University Education (for applicants with foreign degrees), and any registered credit reference bureau.

The IEBC selection panel is under pressure to ensure a transparent recruitment process, as the incoming team will play a key role in overseeing Kenya’s next electoral cycle.

"We will ensure that only the most qualified and competent individuals are shortlisted and appointed to steer the commission forward,” said Makanda. 

Last week, the selection panel announced that 1,356 individuals had applied for the vacancies left by Chebukati and his team.

Of these, 37 applied for the chairperson position, while 1,319 sought one of the six commissioner seats.

Makanda revealed that they received 1,848 applications in total, but 211 individuals submitted multiple applications, 91 failed to specify the position they were applying for, and 14 applied for roles that were not advertised.

“The total number of valid applications is 1,356. The names and detailed qualifications of all applicants for the chairperson and commissioner positions are available,” he said.