NAIROBI, Kenya – Parliament is set to begin vetting the nominees for the positions of chairperson and commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), a crucial step toward reconstituting the country’s electoral body ahead of the next election cycle.
The vetting, led by the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Justice and Constitutional Affairs, will take place on Saturday, May 31, in the Mini Chamber of County Hall, Parliament Buildings, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The exercise follows a public notification issued under Article 118(1)(b) of the Constitution and Section 6(4) of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, as part of efforts to ensure transparency and public participation in filling key constitutional offices.
According to the schedule, Erastus Edung Ethekon, the nominee for IEBC chairperson, will be the first to appear before the committee.
He will be followed, in hourly intervals, by six commissioner nominees: Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, Francis Odhiambo Aduol, and Fahima Araphat Abdalla.
Each nominee is required to present original identification documents, academic and professional certificates, and clearance letters from several state agencies.
These include the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, and a Credit Reference Bureau.
The vetting process marks a significant milestone in the long-delayed reconstitution of the IEBC, whose former chairperson and commissioners exited in phases following the 2022 General Election and subsequent legal reforms.
Once approved by Parliament, the nominees will be tasked with restoring public trust in the electoral process and steering the commission through critical pre-election reforms, including constituency boundary reviews and voter register updates.
