Elizabeth Muli will chair the selection panel for the appointment of commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
The panel, which was sworn in on Wednesday, held its first meeting and issued a parked roadmap that will see the country fill the four vacant positions at the electoral agency by June.
James Awori was elected to deputise Muli during the afternoon meeting at Parliamentary Service Commission boardroom.
The seven-member panel also has Gideon Solonka, Elizabeth Meyo, Dorothy Kimengech, Rev. Joseph Ngumbi and Dr Faradim Abdalla.
Kimengech was, however, not sworn in following Justice Antony Mrima orders suspending her appointment to the panel.
During the Wednesday meeting, the panel deliberated on the secretariat and administrative arrangements, draft rules of procedure and work plan.
The team also deliberated on the advertisement of application for the positions of Member of the IEBC.
Muli, who read the joint statement, announced that the panel will advertise for applications for the positions of members of the commission in the Kenya Gazette and two newspapers of national circulation on Saturday, May 1.
The advert will also be posted on the website of the Parliamentary Service Commission.
“The selection panel will receive applications for 14 days from the date of advertisement,” Muli said.
All the applicants and their qualifications will then be made public.
“The panel will then begin the shortlisting exercise and will publish the list of the shortlisted candidates on or about May 24, 2021. This advertisement shall invite the views of the public on the suitability of shortlisted candidates for a period of seven days,” she said.
She said interviews for the shortlisted candidates will be conducted for five days from May 31, a timeline the panel noted could slightly vary given the number of candidates.
The panel hopes to settle on the successful candidates and forward the names to President Uhuru Kenyatta on or about June 9, 2021.
“The selection panel reiterates that the timelines it has provided are provisional and ambitious but are also achievable,” she said.
The IEBC is currently operating with three commissioners after the exit of three commissioners immediately after the 2017 election. It has chairman Wafula Chebukati, commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye after their colleagues resigned.
Those who resigned included Roselyn Akombe, Paul Kurgat, Margaret Mwachanya and Connie Maina.
-Edited by SKanyara
