- The interview panel was made up of 27 members from both teams of the coalition-PNU and ODM.
- Towards the end of the interview, Charity Ngilu raised an inquiry.
As Former IEBC Chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan was preparing for his interview to become the commission's chair, he knew tough questions would be thrown his way.
The interview was scheduled for April 2, 2009.
But the last question by panellist Charity Ngilu was not one he had anticipated.
In his book Referee of a Dirty Ugly Game, Hassan details how he wrestled Ngilu's tough question that related to his predecessor the late Samuel Kivuitu.
"The former ECK chairperson, Samuel Kivuitu, said something on TV about people 'cooking results'. I believe you saw that. What would you have done if you were in the same situation?" Ngilu posed.
Hassan posed before responding, knowing that it was a sensitive question and would, to a large extent, determine how he fared in the interview.
"Kivuitu should have talked less. Those of us who know him understand that he was making a joke, but unfortunately, it was lost to many. There is a time for jokes and a time for serious work, and I think he missed that and crossed the line," Hassan responded.
Hassan noticed a collective agreement in the room, as some members of the panel nodded.
"I would have spoken less given the gravity of the matter at hand, with an understanding of the critical state the country was in. I would also have been patient and waited for the official results before making any comment," he went on.
The interview panel was made up of 27 members from both teams of the coalition-PNU and ODM.
After the interview, Hassan was the successful candidate for the Chairs position and his name among the other list of commissioners was forwarded to Parliament for approval.
Former President Mwai Kibaki would later assent to the bill which formally appointed the commissioners and effectively created the IIEC on May 7, 2009.
Four days later, Hassan and his team were sworn in at the Court of Appeal building.
Hassan said he was motivated to write his book by Kivuitu who confided to him that he regretted not penning down his own book on the experience of holding such a high-profile office.