IEBC Selection Panel nominees named despite Azimio pushback

Three institutions have nominated four persons to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Selection Panel in readiness for a formal appointment expected next week.

The Political Parties Liaison Committee that brings together over 80 political parties has settled on its Chairman James Misati, who hails from the Progressive Party of Kenya.

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has picked advocate Benson Ngugi Njeri of Igeria and Ngugi advocates.

The Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) has elected two representatives from the Christian and Muslim community. The two are Reverend Nelson Makanda, the General Secretary of the Evangelical Society of Kenya, and Fatuma Saman of the National Muslim Leaders Forum.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is expected to submit one name to the panel, while the Parliamentary Service Commission is expected to pick two nominees.

The understanding had been that the two Parliamentary nominees would be shared between the majority and minority parties in Parliament.

The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party has however distanced itself from the IEBC selection process, with the minority House leadership indicating that they won’t be contributing a name.

Azimio leader Raila Odinga has on numerous occasions slammed the process of reconstituting IEBC claiming it is a unilateral process undertaking by the Kenya Kwanza administration.

“The Kenya Kwanza regime is hell-bent on proceeding to unilaterally and single-handedly reconstitute the IEBC,” he said during a press address on Thursday.

“This comes against the backdrop of the earlier illegal forcing out of 4 commissioners who disagreed with Wafula Chebukati over the presidential election results. A biased and partisan IEBC is being put in place.”

According to the IEBC Act, the five institutions are required to submit names of their nominees within seven days, after which the President is required to appoint them to the IEBC Selection Panel.

Once sworn in, the panelists should choose among them a Chairperson and a Vice Chair. Within seven days the panel is required to advertise the vacant positions outlining the requirements and the mode of application.

The panel should detail the application window and, upon its closure, should shortlist qualifying candidates and release a schedule for in-person interviews.

From persons interviewed, the panel is required to recommend a list of suitable candidates to the President.

Two names are required for the Chairman, while eight names for the positions of commissioners. The president should then pick a commission Chairperson from the list and five commissioners as per the declared vacancies.

Suspended Commissioner Irene Masit still awaits determination of her fate. Should she be removed by the Justice Aggrey Muchelule-led tribunal, the President is expected to declare the vacancy and establish another recruitment process for her replacement. However, should she be spared, she will resume her commissioner duties.