Erastus Edung Ethekon: William Ruto Nominates New IEBC Chairperson, 6 Commissioners
- The reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is at its final phase as the National Assembly takes over the remaining stage
- On Thursday, May 8, President William Ruto nominated lawyer Erastus Edung Ethekon as the new chairman of the electoral agency, and six new commissioners
- The nominees' suitability to sit in the IEBC will now be reviewed by the National Assembly, which, if satisfied, will approve them
Former Turkana county attorney Erastus Edung Ethekon has been nominated as the new Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman.
Source: Twitter
President William Ruto sanctioned the nomination on Thursday evening, May 8.
Who are proposed new IEBC commissioners?
The president also nominated six members of the commission, namely Ann Njeri Nderitu, who natively hails from Nyandarua county, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana (Kakamega), Mary Karen Sorobit (Uasin Gishu), Hassan Noor Hassan (Mandera), Francis Odhiambo Aduol (Kisumu) and Fahima Araphat Abdallah (Lamu).
For the electoral agency's chairman, the president nominated Ethekon from a list of two, and the six commissioners from a list of nine.
Ruto was served with the shortlist on Monday, May 6, by the selection panel committee that was stewarded by Nelson Makanda.
With the president done with the nomination, eyes will now be on the National Assembly, which will consider the suitability of the nominees before approving them.
What Kenyans expect of new IEBC
If approved, the new team will hit the road running as the country prepares for the 2027 General Election.
Meanwhile, the commission will be organising the pending by-elections in various parts of the country.
Minipolls are awaited in Banissa, Mbeere North, Malava and Kasipul constituencies, and a handful of wards.
Baringo residents will also be partaking in a by-election to elect their new senator following the demise of William Cheptumo in February this year.
For over two years, the IEBC remained non-quorate and only operated with the secretariat.
This was after the exit of the former chairman, the late Wafula Chebukati, and two commissioners, Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye, whose tenures ended in January 2023.
Source: Twitter
Four other commissioners, Juliana Cherera, Irene Masit, Justus Ong'oya and Francis Wanderi, unceremoniously left the commission in 2022 at the height of the controversy around the presidential election results.
The quartet dissented from Chebukati over the results, creating an irredeemable crack in the commission.
Elsewhere, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka declared that the opposition won't admit the new IEBC if they (opposition) are not involved in the reconstitution process.
Why Kalonzo Musyoka raised red flag on IEBC selection
Kalonzo expressed his concerns in a letter addressed to Ruto following the submission of the final shortlist of nominees.
He warned that excluding the opposition from the process could result in a biased commission that lacks public confidence.
The former vice president raised issues with the selection process, arguing that it overlooked the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) recommendations, which emphasised joint decision-making between the government and opposition while reconstituting the IEBC.
Additionally, Kalonzo stated that Raila Odinga's agreement with Ruto could not override the NADCO report, as Raila's position within the opposition had shifted following the March memorandum of understanding between ODM and UDA.
In his letter, Kalonzo insisted that his team should receive the selection panel’s exit report to evaluate the recently concluded recruitment process for the new electoral body members.
Any exercise without the input of the opposition would generate a commission without the public's trust, he said.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
