The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marjan Hussein is among five candidates shortlisted to be interviewed for the post.
The position went vacant in 2018 after the commission fired Ezra Chiloba over failure to appear, on two occasions, before IEBC’s disciplinary committee.
Others who have been shortlisted include Electoral and Governance Expert Zephania Aura, IEBC Mombasa county election manager Nancy Kariuki, George Michugu, and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development Director Joel Mabonga.
Mabonga had previously served as the Director-Voter Education and partnership at the IEBC. He also once served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA).
Marjan, Okeyo, Kariuki and Mabonga had all been shortlisted in the 2019 interviews that were stopped by the courts.
A total of 10 had been shortlisted before the courts slammed its brakes on the process.
The court stopped the 2019 process after a petition by Chama cha Mawakili that sought the court’s intervention to stop IEBC from proceeding to interview some 10 candidates that had been shortlisted.
In the petition, the group said the commission failed to hire a consultant human resource firm to lead the process and remove any doubts about conflict of interest that had started creeping into the exercise.
They also stated that IEBC failed to give a justification why some candidates were shortlisted and not others.
The criteria the commission and the question of who did the shortlisting have also been raised.
The electoral agency, chaired by Wafula Chebukati, received applications from a total 511 Kenyans.
At the same time, 10 others have been shortlisted for the position of Deputy CEO from a list of 860 applicants.
Nuno Roble Said, Obadiah Keitany Kipkoech, Ibrahim Osman Hassan, Naisiae Tobiko Paloshe, Nelly Ilongo, Joyce Ekuam Narumbe Idumu, Fredrick Riaga Ogalo, Simon Cheruiyot Kiplangat, Ruth Kulundu Songa Khatievi and John Muhia Mwangi.
Ekuam is currently the IEBC acting director voter education, partnerships and communications.
The IEBC says the shortlisted candidates are supposed to face the interviewing panel on Wednesday next week.
