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President Kenyatta declares IEBC positions vacant

State House Spokesman Manoah Esipisu urged the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to send names of nine nominees to the selection panel for consideration and appointment/FILE

State House Spokesman Manoah Esipisu urged the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to send names of nine nominees to the selection panel for consideration and appointment/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 6 – President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday declared the positions of outgoing Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commissioners (IEBC) vacant following their official resignation on Wednesday.

State House Spokesman Manoah Esipisu urged the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to send names of nine nominees to the selection panel for consideration and appointment.

“His Excellency the President thanks the Commissioners for their pivotal contribution to the Nation as the inaugural Members of the IEBC under the new Constitution. The IEBC is a vital plank of Kenya’s Constitutional architecture and through their service in the Polls Body the outgoing Members of the IEBC have contributed to the growth of Democracy in our Country,” he said.

The vacancies in the offices of the chairperson and IEBC commissioners were declared in a Special Notice carried in the Kenya Gazette.

The current IEBC commissioners, led by Chairman Issack Hassan formally tendered their notice of resignation to President Kenyatta on Wednesday and set the ball rolling to pick new commissioners ahead of next year’s elections.

The statement from State House said the Commissioners will serve their notice period while in office.

“There shall be no constitutional crisis engendered by their being no substantive IEBC commissioners in office during this transitional period,” he said.

This decision was reached following a meeting between the commissioners and the government through the Technical Negotiating Committee on Friday, September 30.

Hassan, said that their extended stay in office would not in any way jeopardise preparations for a free and fair 2017 election, adding that as commissioners are determined to ensure a smooth transition.

The President will now wait to constitute a Selection Panel to recruit new commissioners before October 11.

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The nine-member selection team comprises of five nominees from the clergy and four from the Parliamentary Service Commission.

The Public Service Commission will provide a secretariat to guide with the technical aspects of reconstituting the new electoral body.

Religious organisations have nominated National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) Secretary – General Canon Peter Karanja, Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) chairman Abdulghafur El-Busaidy and Bernadette Musundi to represent Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB).

The ruling Jubilee Coalition nominated lawyers Evans Monari and Mary Kigen while CORD will represented by Ogla Karani and Tom Mbaluto in the panel that will recruit new IEBC.

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