Senator Ledama: IEBC chair candidates cannot be independent, will be 'yes' people

According to the legislator, the candidates are not fit to occupy the critical position, arguing they will be easily compromised and lack integrity.

"I believe that this is a completely wrong list of candidates to be able to spear this country to greater heights when it comes to elections," he said during an interview with Citizen TV on Monday.

"I see characters who will be 'yes people', cannot be independent and cannot be guided by ethics and integrity."

Senator Ledama further poked holes in the track record of the candidates, saying that the commission needs a younger lead who will guarantee transparency. 

"These are people who have been recycled from all jobs. It's about time to get a radical young man to be able to lead this commission," he added.

Speaking in the same interview, Tetu Member of Parliament (MP) Geoffrey Wandeto opined that the candidates will not offer confidence to the electorate due to their leadership history.

"I don't know whether the country has run out of candidates. I see people with a history that aligns with one side of the political divide," he stated.

"My worry is that out of this process, we are going to have a person who can say no even if they are called from the highest office to say a 'yes'."

The IEBC Selection Panel has begun interviews for the position of commission chairperson today, Monday, March 24.

The 3-day process, which will be conducted publicly, will be conducted at the College of Insurance in Nairobi.

On Monday, the first batch of candidates will be interviewed, including former Constitutional Implementation Committee Chairperson Charles Nyachae, former Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Anne Amadi, Abdulqadir Lorot Ramadhan, and Edward Katama Ngeywa.

On Tuesday, the panel will interview Erastus Edung Ethekon, Francis Kakai Kissinger, former Nairobi County Assembly Clerk Jacob Ngwele, and Joy Masinde-Mdivo, the current chairperson of the Kenya Power board.

On the final day of interviews for the chairperson position, Lillian Wanjiku Manegene, Robert Akumu Asembo, and Saul Simiyu Wasilwa will appear before the selection panel.

The panel will then commence interviews for six other commissioners from March 26 to April 24.