IEBC names vice-chair, Chief Electoral Officer

NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 24 – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) held its first plenary session after they were and sworn in last week.

During the meeting, the commission elected Lillian Bokeeye Mahiri- Zaja as the vice-chairperson of IEBC.

Bokeeye is one of the commissioners at the new constitutional body which will be charged with completing the task of delimitation of the 80 new electoral units, registration of voters, civic education and prepare for the next general election.

Under the law, the IEBC has four months within which to complete the review of boundaries.

Chapter 15 of the Constitution, which deals with appointments at commissions and independent offices, says that the members of a Commission shall elect a vice-chairperson from among themselves but the chairperson and vice-chairperson must not be of the same gender.

Bokeeye has vast experience in public service. She has worked at State Law Office as a State Council and most recently as the Deputy Chief Legal Officer, Ministry of Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs. She holds LLB and LLM degrees.

The commission also resolved to appoint James Oswago as the Acting Commission Secretary/CEO for a period of three months with effect from November 8, 2011.

A statement from the commission said the during these three months IEBC will recruit a Secretary/CEO and two deputies through a transparent and competitive process as outlined by Chapter 6 of the Constitution (Leadership and Integrity) and Section 10 of the IEBC Act.

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