National Assembly approves 2-week extension for IEBC selection panel

The National Assembly has approved a two-week extension for the Selection Committee tasked with appointing new Independent and Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials.

Initially, the committee's mandate was set to expire on April 28, 2025, but it requested Parliament for additional time to complete the vital task effectively.

National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed was first to endorse the motion, urging Kenyans to have confidence in the process of selecting new IEBC commissioners.

He expressed his belief that the committee will fulfill its duties diligently in due time and ensure that qualified individuals are appointed to lead the crucial electoral body.

"Let us have faith in processes which have been initiated in good faith. This process began all the way from NADCO. Before that, there was a panel that sat and used public resources (Ksh.131 million) at the county or through Parliament…if we did not have faith in that one, we don’t have faith in this one, we can only have faith in God then!" Junet noted.

Deputy Majority Leader Owen Bay echoed the sentiments, stating that extending the committee’s time does not violate any law, emphasizing that granting the committee more time is necessary to enable it to complete its work effectively.

"I request that we vote to pass the 14 days required because it is provided in the statute that it is okay to extend if requested, we are not breaking the law," he said.

The committee is currently conducting interviews for applicants who have expressed interest in becoming IEBC commissioners.