President Kenyatta officially declares four vacancies in IEBC ahead of the 2022 polls
His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta has declared four vacancies in the Independent Electoral Board Commission(IEBC) after the exit of commissioners vice chair Connie Nkatha-Maina, Roselyn Akombe, Paul Kurgat and Margaret Mwachanya.
This comes months to the 2022 polls and Building Bridges Initiative(BBI) referendum.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 7A (2) of the IEBC Act 2011, I, Uhuru Kenyatta, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, declare vacancies in the position of four members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission,” Uhuru said in a gazette notice dated April 14.
Vice-chairperson Nkatha, Mwachanya and Kurgat announced their exit citing lack of confidence in the IEBC.
“The events relating to the purported vote (to suspend the CEO) have greatly shaken our already feeble confidence in the chair,” the three commissioners said in a statement.
On October 18, 2017, Roselyn Akombe fled the country and announced her resignation while abroad barely a week to the last General Election saying the commission could not guarantee a credible election and that she felt unsafe serving at the IEBC.
This left the commission with three members; two commissioners; Abdi Yakub Guliye and Boya Molu and chairman Wafula Chebukati, short of the five it requires for major decisions at the agency that is preparing to conduct a second review of constituency and ward boundaries ahead of the 2022 General Election.
Kenyatta was supposed to announce a vacancy at the agency within seven days of receiving the commissioners’ resignation.
Uhuru’s declaration of vacancies follows the enactment of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
The Bill establishes a selection panel whose mandate will be to advertise, interview and recruit commissioners for the purpose of appointment by the President.
The Public Service Commission will have 14 days to publish the search for new commissioners, picked by a panel and approved by the president and Member of Parliament.
The President will have to appoint the panel consisting of members nominated by Public Service Commission, the Law Society of Kenya and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
