- The gazettement of the impending vacancies would mean that the IEBC vice chairperson and the other dissenting commissioners will remain in office longer.
- There were plans by some of Ruto's allies to initiate a process to eject the four dissenting commissioners.
Image: FILE
President William Ruto has started the succession process at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
The President on Saturday put out a public notice to constitute a panel for the recruitment of the next IEBC chairman and two commissioners.
The six-year non-renewable term for the IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati and commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye ends on January 17 next year.
They were appointed on January 18, 2017.
The gazettement of the impending vacancies would mean that IEBC vice chairperson Julian Cherera and the other dissenting commissioners will remain in office longer.
There were plans by some of Ruto's allies to initiate a process to eject the four commissioners who disputed the results declaring Ruto as winner of the presidential election.
The four are Cherera, Justus Nyang’aya, Francis Nderitu and Irene Masit.
Chebukati, Molu and Guliye were appointed alongside former commissioners Connie Nkatha Maina (vice chairperson), Roselyn Akombe, Margaret Mwachanya and Paul Kurgat.
The four resigned from the electoral agency in 2018 as the fallout over management of 2017 election raged on. They also complained over the IEBC chairman's management style.
Unconfirmed reports had suggested that Chebukati and the two were proceeding on terminal leave on October 17.
The IEBC Act requires the president to appoint a seven-member recruitment panel at least six months before the lapse of the term of the chairperson or member of the commission to start the process.
“…. [I]n exercise of the powers conferred by section 7A (2) of the IEBC Act as read with Paragraph 1 (1) of the First Schedule of the IEBC Act, I William Samoei Ruto…… notify of impending vacancies in the positions of Chairperson; and two Members,” the gazette notice dated October 21 reads in part.
Molu has been shortlisted for appointment as principal secretary whose interview process got underway last week.
This means that, should he be successful, his exit from the commission paves way for his transition to the new job.
Ruto's gazettement also dwarfs the earlier push by Azimio politicians to have Cherera take over the management of the commission as acting head in absence of a substantive chairperson.
There has also been a push by some Kenya Kwanza MPs to have the four removed from the electoral agency.
So intense has been the push that some of the MPs wanted a motion to that effect tabled in the National Assembly before Chebukati and his team retires.
While Chebukati has been hailed by President Ruto as a hero, the four have been vilified as rebels.
The Cherera team openly differed with Chebukati’s handling of the August 2022 general election, claiming that he was opaque and had a predetermined outcome in mind.
Their ugly fight played out at the Supreme court, with Cherera team supporting the petition to nullify the election and the chairman opposed it.
The fights saw the commissioners operate in two groups with frosty relationships, a fallout that also affected the secretariat.
The Chebukati team attempted to suspend deputy CEO Mary Kulundu after the elections for siding with the Cherera team but courts came to her rescue.
This as Minority leader in the National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi on Sunday led his troops in demanding the immediate exit of the Chebukati team.
“They need to proceed on a three-month terminal leave. What mischief are they still playing at Anniversary Towers? What is it that they want to achieve now that they could not in the last six years?” Wandayi said.
The Ugunja MP was speaking at his home in Sidindi where he had hosted his deputy Robert Mbui (Kathiani), Caleb Amisi (Sabaoti)and David Pkosing (Pokot South).
(edited by Amol Awuor)