The National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee
will vet the nominees for the chairperson and commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
This follows a ruling by the High Court on Thursday, May 29, 2025, which gave Parliament the green light to proceed with the vetting process but barred the nominees from being gazetted or taking the oath of office.
President William Ruto had, on May 9, 2025, forwarded the names of seven nominees, one for chairperson and six for commissioners, for approval hearings.
President Ruto nominated Erastus Edung Ethekon as the next IEBC chairperson, and Anne Nderitu, Moses Mukwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor, Francis Odhiambo, and Fahima Abdalla as commissioners.
In a public notice published in local dailies on May 30, 2025, National Assembly Clerk Samwel Njoroge announced that the committee will hold the approval hearings at the Mini Chamber, County Hall, Nairobi.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula had referred the names to the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs to conduct the vetting process before the courts temporarily blocked the move.
The initial vetting process had been set for May 26, 2025, but the High Court halted it following a case filed by petitioners.
“It is notified to the general public that, pursuant to Article 118(1)(b) of the Constitution and Section 6(4) of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act (Cap. 7F), the vetting process of the nominees will be conducted on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the Mini Chamber, First Floor, County Hall, Parliament Buildings, at 9:00 a.m.,” reads part of the notice.
According to the schedule, Ethekon, the nominee for IEBC chairperson, will be the first to face the George Murugara-led panel at 9:00 a.m., followed by Nderitu, the Registrar of Political Parties, at 10:30 a.m.
In the marathon sittings, which will be held over a single day, Mukwana will appear at 11:30 a.m., Sorobit at 12:30 p.m., and Noor at 2:30 p.m.
Odhiambo will appear at 3:30 p.m., and the vetting will conclude with Fahima at 4:30 p.m.
The National Assembly had earlier invited Kenyans to submit
their views on the suitability of the nominees by presenting sworn statements
with supporting evidence contesting their fitness for office.
During the vetting process, nominees are required to present clearance certificates from the EACC, KRA, HELB, DCI, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, and the Credit Reference Bureau.
