The National Assembly has unanimously approved the appointment of Erastus Edung Ethekon as the new Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), along with seven new commissioners.
Those approved to serve as IEBC commissioners are Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, Francis Odhiambo Aduol, and Fahima Arafat Abdallah.
The endorsement, which took place during a House sitting on Wednesday evening, now clears the way for the reconstitution of the electoral body, just 18 months before the next General Elections.
The approval followed the tabling of a report by the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC), which had recommended that Parliament endorse the appointments made by President William Ruto.
While presenting the motion, JLAC Chairperson George Murugara told the House that all nominees had been properly vetted and were found fit to serve. “
We will approve your nominations this afternoon, but Kenyans are watching. If you don’t have the spine to conduct elections, start growing one now,” he said. “We must have a fair, credible, and verifiable election that all Kenyans can trust.”
Murugara added that the nominees had satisfied all constitutional requirements and passed the committee’s scrutiny. Their approval marks a significant step in the long-delayed process of reconstituting the IEBC, which has been without a full team for over a year.