Azimio leader Raila Odinga stood alongside President William Ruto as he signed the IEBC Bill at the KICC on July 9. IMAGE: Moses Wetang’ula
In Summary:
1) Various groups are submitting representatives for the IEBC selection panel following President Ruto’s assent to the IEBC Bill.
2) The selection panel, comprising nine members, must be established within 14 days of the bill’s assent.
The process of reconstituting Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has entered a crucial phase with the nomination of representatives for the selection panel.
This development follows President William Ruto’s approval of the IEBC Bill, which set a tight timeline for forming the panel.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula outlined the procedure on July 22, emphasizing the 14-day deadline to establish the nine-member selection panel.
He stated, “Within 14 days of assent, we must have the selection panel in place.”
The panel will include representatives from key organizations such as the Parliamentary Service Commission, Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Inter-Religious Council of Kenya, Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK), and the Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC).
Wetang’ula explained, “The nominating agencies of the selection panel are the Parliamentary Service Commission, that is ourselves; we have already organised, and we are going to conduct interviews for the nominated candidate by the majority and the minority parties.”
He added, “The inter-religious council is nominating two names, the Law Society of Kenya should give one nominee, the ICPAK should nominate one person, and the Political Parties Liaison Committee will be nominating three—one from parties not represented in Parliament and from parties that are represented in Parliament, the majority and minority coalition.”
To meet the deadline, nominee names were expected to reach Parliament by July 26, with gazetting scheduled for July 30.
Wetang’ula expressed hope, saying, “We hope that by the close of the week, we shall have the selection panel ready to be sent to the president to appoint the chairman out of them and the rest to be gazetted not later than Tuesday this week.”
Once formed, the panel has a three-month window to complete the recruitment process and submit IEBC chairperson and commissioner nominees to the President.
Some organizations have already put forward their representatives. The Inter-Religious Council of Kenya has retained Dr. Nelson Makanda and Fatuma Saman, while ICPAK will be represented by Andrew Tanui. Announcements from the LSK and National Assembly Speaker are anticipated.
The IEBC reconstitution is viewed as a critical step towards improving accountability and ensuring fair representation in Kenya.
Various groups, including politicians, human rights organizations, and Gen Z advocates, have been pressing for this process to be expedited.
Gen Z supporters, in particular, have emphasized the need for mechanisms to recall underperforming Members of the National Assembly.
As they stated, “Reconstituting the IEBC is long overdue. Some electoral units do not have representation, which is unfair to them. Again, we want an avenue to recall some of our MPs if they fail to deliver on their work.”
This reconstitution effort aims to address concerns about fair representation and the functionality of Kenya’s electoral body, responding to calls from diverse sectors of society for a more accountable and effective IEBC.