• Chairman Wafula Chebukati received the newly appointed commissioners shortly after they were sworn into office.
• The four join the commission at a time when it has started preparations for the 2022 general election.
Image: JACK OWUOR
A full in-tray awaits the four IEBC commissioners appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to fill the vacant positions at the poll agency.
The President gazetted the names of Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, Irene Masit, and Justus Abonyo on Wednesday.
Chairman Wafula Chebukati on Thursday received the new commissioners shortly after they were sworn into office.
They replace Roselyne Akombe who resigned in 2017 and Nkatha Maina, Margaret Mwachanya and Paul Kurgat who quit in 2018, citing a lack of confidence in Chebukati.
The appointment came hours after the National Assembly approved the names. The four join the commission at a time when it has started preparations for the next general election.
They will be instrumental in the implementation of the recently unveiled IEBC strategic plan and election operations management plan.
They will oversee the crucial bit of the election preparations, starting with the mass voter registration that will be from December 6 to December 20.
The commission has already given the window for application for voter registration officers.
It seeks to recruit 1,450 voter registration assistants, 7,540 clerks and 580 constituency ICT officials as temporary staff for the exercise.
According to the IEBC election operations management plan, the commission is targeting four million new voters who were not eligible to vote in 2017.
In 2017, the number of registered voters was 19,687, 885. Some 149, 600 voters have been listed since 2017 in the continuous voter registration exercise.
The new commissioners would also oversee mapping and review voter registration centres ahead of the polls.
They will also oversee the audit of voter registration technology and the review of technical requirements and specifications of election technology.
Next month, the commission is expected to hire a reputable firm to audit its voter register. The law requires the report generated by the audit firm to be tabled in Parliament for approval before its recommendations are implemented by the IEBC.
The bicameral House will have from November 2 to 15 to discuss the report.
On February 28, 2022, the commission will suspend voter registration to pave the way for field verification from March 1 to April 14.
The certified register of voters will then be generated and gazetted on May 2, 2022, three months before the elections.
The commission will then update the BVR system license and infrastructure to accommodate additional voters.
The commissioners will also supervise the deployment of polling station personnel, materials and Kiems before the election.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris