President William Ruto receives the report on the recruitment of nominees for the positions of chairperson and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) from the IEBC Selection Panel Chairman, Dr Nelson Makanda at State House, Nairobi.
President William Ruto is set to submit names of nominees for the electoral commission to the National Assembly within seven days for vetting.
On Tuesday, the President received a list of nominees from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Selection Panel, marking the final leg of a long and winding process to have a new team that will oversee the 2027 General Election.
“This morning, I received the report on the recruitment of nominees for the positions of Chairperson and Members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) from the IEBC Selection Panel, State House Nairobi,” the President said.
“In accordance with the provisions of the IEBC Act, I will nominate and transmit the names to the National Assembly in full fidelity to the constitutional principles that guide our system of governance,” he said.
The nine-member IEBC selection panel chaired by Dr Nelson Makanda interviewed 11 candidates for the post of IEBC chairperson and 107 others for members.
According to the IEBC Act, the President shall within seven days forward the list of nominees for approval by Members of Parliament. Once approved by the National Assembly, the President will have another seven days to appoint the chairperson and members of the commission.
IEBC has remained dysfunctional for more than two years following the retirement of its immediate former chairperson Wafula Chebukati and two other commissioners, Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye in January 2023.
The chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Selection Panel, Dr Nelson Makanda (center, podium), briefs the media on April 25, 2025. He is with other members of the panel.
But even before the expiry of Mr Chebukati’s term, the 2022 presidential election results left the agency split down the middle.
Four commissioners, Ms Juliana Cherera, (Vice Chairperson), Mr Justus Nyangaya, Francis Nyangaya and Ms Irene Masit – popularly known as the Cherera-Four – rejected President Ruto’s win. Dr Ruto beat opposition leader Raila Odinga narrowly in the race.
But after Dr Ruto assumed office, the four were dramatically hounded out of office. The four were accused of favouring Mr Odinga by pushing for a run-off election to stop the declaration of Dr Ruto as President.
Petitions were filed in Parliament seeking the formation of a tribunal by President Ruto to investigate their conduct after accusations that they disputed the presidential election outcome.
Facing the tribunal
The petitions also accused them of trying to moderate the presidential election results to force a runoff between Dr Ruto and Mr Odinga.
The National Assembly adopted a report of its committee on Justice and Legal Affairs recommending the formation of a tribunal to investigate them.
The resolution saw Ms Cherera, Mr Nyangaya and Mr Wanderi opt to resign instead of facing the tribunal headed by Court of Appeal Judge Aggrey Muchelule.
Ms Masit faced the tribunal, which subsequently recommended her removal from office.
The four had been appointed following the controversial exit of their predecessors. In the run-up to the 2017 August presidential election, in which President Kenyatta was running for re-election against Mr Odinga, the electoral commission imploded into partisan feuds.
Dr Roselyn Akombe, a commissioner, fled to the US amid death threats ahead of the presidential election re-run. After the controversial fresh election that was boycotted by Mr Odinga, three other commissioners quit, saying they could no longer work with Mr Chebukati.
Ms Connie Maina (Vice Chairperson), Mr Paul Kurgat and Ms Margaret Mwachanya resigned in 2018.
Their resignation would lead to the recruitment of Ms Cherera, Mr Wanderi, Mr Nyangaya and Ms Masit who were appointed on September 2, 2021 by then President Kenyatta.
The process has been characterized by political circus and court battles that have resulted in major delays in having a team to kick off preparations for the 2027 General Election.
Mombasa residents register as voters at the Tudor Primary School Grounds during the enhanced mass voter registration in February 2022.
The country is already staring at electoral crises, including stalled continuous voter registration, overdue mini-polls in several constituencies.
Others are delayed delimitation, recruitment of senior IEBC staff and procurement of strategic election materials.
The pending constituency by-elections include Baringo County whose senator, William Cheptumo, died on February 16, 2025; and Banissa, Magarini, Ugunja, Malava, Mbeere North, ODM nominative slot in the National Assembly, and lately Kasipul following the death of MP Charles Ong’ondo Were.
According to the law, the IEBC should hold a by-election within 90 days. The election of Magarini MP Harrison Kombe was annulled on May 31, 2024.
Banissa Constituency, for example, has been unrepresented for more than a year following the death of MP Hassan Kulow Maalim in March 2023.
Read: 19 by-elections, boundary review, 2027 elections: Why the IEBC team must hit the ground running
The secretariat headed by CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan was limited to training of staff and procurement of the nonstrategic materials. The nonstrategic materials have no direct impact on elections and all the secretariat requires is to ensure there is a procurement plan in place as well as an adequate budget.
Mr Johan Kriegler, the South African retired judge who chaired the Independent Review Commission on Kenya’s electoral reforms, recommended that IEBC commissioners must be in office at least two years before a general election.
The commission’s Deputy CEO Obadia Keitany, recently told MPs that the IEBC has not been able to undertake the continuous voter registration exercise since the 2022 general elections.
“There were no commissioners to address policy issues that would have emerged and there were also no funds allocated for the exercise. Only the commissioners can approve budgets of the commission,” said Mr Keitany.
