Nairobi, Kenya, Mar 15-The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection panel has assured Kenyans that it will conduct the recruitment of new commissioners in an impartial, fair, and transparent manner.
Nelson Makanda the Chairperson of the IEBC select panel said Wednesday that they will observe the law and follow the constitution in the recruitment exercise.
“We will discharge our mandate in a manner that every Kenyan will be confident for the members that we will present to the president for the appointment,” he said during the briefing on the progress the panel has made since taking the oath of office.
Makanda said that they have made positive progress since they took office noting that in a week’s time a total of 169 candidates had applied for the available positions even as he expressed optimism that at the lapse of three weeks time, more Kenyans would have applied.
The Selection Panel placed an advertisement for vacancies for the position IEBC Chairperson and six Members of the Commission in the local dailies last Saturday, March 10 as an addendum to the advertisement published on March 7, 2023, as required by the law.
“Since then the Selection Panel has been receiving applications both online and hard copies from eligible persons,” he said.
Upon receiving the applications, Makanda said the Selection Panel will embark on preparing the long list of the applications followed by shortlisting.
Thereafter the longlist and shortlist of applicants will be published in the local dailies to allow members of the public an opportunity to submit memoranda to the Panel containing any information of interest concerning the suitability of the shortlisted nominees.
The move will be part of the public participation process required by the law in the recruitment exercise.
The shortlisted applicants shall also be notified, through the local dailies, of the date, time and venue of the scheduled interviews that will be conducted in public.
He called on more eligible Kenyans to continue applying for the vacant positions of the IEBC Chairperson and the six Members on or before the March 28 deadline.
Outgoing Chairman Wafula Chebukati and Commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye left the polls agency on January 17 after their unrenewable six-year terms lapsed.
The three were appointed in January 2017 alongside four others, who all resigned unceremoniously after the 2017 general election.
Former Vice-chairperson Juliana Cherera, and Commissioners Francis Mathenge Wanderi, and Justus Nyang’aya resigned in December last year after President William Ruto formed a tribunal to consider a petition seeking their removal from office.
The appointment of Commissioner Irene Masit who opted to face the tribunal was terminated by President William Ruto after the tribunal set up to investigate her conduct found her guilty of gross misconduct.
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