IEBC Selection Panel begins verification ahead of candidates shortlisting » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 16—The selection panel overseeing the recruitment of nominees for the positions of Chairperson and Members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has received 1,848 applications.

The application window closed on Saturday, February 15, at 5 pm.

In a statement on Sunday, the panel confirmed that applicants submitted their documents both in person at the Secretariat in County House Building, Parliament Road, and online via email.

Panel Chairperson Nelson Makanda announced that the verification process had begun.

“The panel has started the verification process and will soon release the long list of all applicants, in accordance with paragraph 3(1) of the First Schedule to the IEBC Act,” Makanda said.

He assured the public of the panel’s commitment to a fair and transparent process.

“We will keep the public informed at every stage of the recruitment exercise,” he added.

Kenya has faced a constitutional challenge since 2023 when the electoral commission fell below its legal membership threshold due to political and legal disputes.

In 2024, petitioner Boniface Njogu moved to court, arguing that the panel lacked proper representation of persons living with disabilities.

The absence of a fully functional IEBC has raised concerns about Kenya’s readiness for future electoral processes, with the public growing increasingly impatient over the delays.

However, on January 26, the High Court dismissed Njogu’s petition, allowing the swearing-in of the panel to proceed.

Justice Dora Chepkwony ruled that the petitioner failed to prove any constitutional violations in the panel’s formation.

“The petitioner has advanced insufficient evidence to warrant the recruitment process being deemed unconstitutional,” she said.