President Ruto picks Erastus Ethekon as new IEBC chair
The President also unveiled six other nominees to serve as commissioners at the IEBC.
President William Ruto has nominated Erastus Edung Ethekon to serve as the new chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), marking the start of a fresh leadership era at the electoral agency.
In a statement issued on Thursday by Chief of Staff Felix Koskei, the President also unveiled six other nominees to serve as commissioners at the IEBC.
The announcement follows recommendations from the IEBC Selection Panel, which submitted its final report to the Head of State on Tuesday, May 6, at State House in Nairobi.
“IT IS NOTIFIED that His Excellency the President, pursuant to Article 250(2)(b) of the Constitution and the procedures set out in Sections 5(4) and 7 of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act (Chapter 70, Laws of Kenya), has made nominations to the membership of the Commission,” read the statement shared by Koskei.
The panel had presented two names for the position of chairperson and nine candidates to fill six commissioner slots.
“IN ITS SUBMISSION, the Selection Panel recommended two candidates for the position of Chairperson and nine candidates for consideration to fill six positions of Member of the Commission. Arising from these recommendations, the Head of State has nominated the following individuals for appointment, as stated,” the statement added.
Alongside Ethekon, those nominated as commissioners include Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, Francis Odhiambo Aduol, and Fahima Arafat Abdallah.
Koskei confirmed that the list of nominees has been forwarded to the National Assembly for vetting and approval in line with the constitutional process.
During the handover of the selection panel’s report, President Ruto praised the team led by Dr Nelson Makanda for what he described as a diligent and professional approach to the recruitment exercise.
The IEBC has operated without a full commission since January 2023, when the term of former chair Wafula Chebukati ended. Chebukati had led the electoral body since 2017, during which time the IEBC faced several turbulent elections.
His tenure was marked by controversy, starting with the 2017 general election, which was nullified by the Supreme Court due to irregularities.
The court’s decision led to a repeat presidential vote, which opposition leader Raila Odinga boycotted.
The 2022 election, which saw Ruto declared the winner, also sparked heated debate. Odinga, who narrowly lost to Ruto, disputed the results and accused the electoral body of lacking transparency.
The controversy deepened when four out of the seven commissioners disowned the results, citing flaws in the tallying process.
Despite the split within the commission, Chebukati defended the results, which were eventually upheld by the Supreme Court.
However, the events left the electoral body facing widespread public mistrust.
With the new appointments, the government seeks to rebuild public confidence in the IEBC ahead of future electoral exercises.