President Ruto appoints selection panel for IEBC
President William Ruto has appointed a seven-member selection panel to recruit nominees for the chairperson and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The appointment was made through a gazette notice dated 27th February 2023.
The appointment of the selection panel is a significant step towards ensuring that the IEBC is fully constituted and functional.
The seven members of the selection panel appointed by President Ruto are Bethuel Sugut, Novince Euralia Atieno, Charity S. Kisotu, Evans Misati James, Benson Ngugi Njeri, Nelson Makanda, and Fatuma Saman.
The selection panel will be tasked with inviting applications from qualified persons for nomination as chairperson and members of the IEBC within seven days of appointment.
The selection panel will also shortlist candidates, conduct interviews, select three persons qualified to be appointed as chairperson, and select nine persons qualified to be appointed as members.
Later, the panel will forward the names of the chosen candidates to the President for appointment nomination. The president must then forward the names to the National Assembly for approval within seven days of receipt.
After approval, the names will be sent back to the president for gazettement.
The selection panel is mandated to ensure that not more than two-thirds of its members are of the same gender. Additionally, it must ensure that each ethnic community has fair representation and that at least one member represents persons with disabilities. Each member of the panel must have at least fifteen years of experience in public affairs, meet other requirements prescribed by law, and ensure that the selection process is free and fair.