President William Ruto has formally
gazetted the appointments of the new Chairperson and six Commissioners of the
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The move aims at regularising the
process following a recent High Court ruling.
In Gazette Notice No. 9269, dated
July 10, 2025, Ruto appointed Erastus Edung Ethekon as the new Chairperson of
the IEBC for a six-year term.
“In exercise of the powers conferred
by Article 250 (2) as read with section 5 (2) of the Independent Electoral and
Boundaries Commission Act and Paragraph 4 of the First Schedule to the Act, I,
William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief
of the Defence Forces, appoint Erastus Edung Ethekon to be the Chairperson of
the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission,” the notice reads.
In a separate Gazette Notice No.
9270, also dated July 10, 2025, Ruto named six individuals to serve as IEBC
commissioners for a similar six-year term.
The appointees are Ann Njeri
Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan,
Francis Odhiambo Aduol, and Fahima Araphat Abdallah.
The appointments comes after the High
Court ruled that while the appointments themselves were substantively valid,
the earlier Gazette Notice issued by the President had been published in
violation of a court order.
A three-judge bench comprising Lady
Justice Roselyne Aburili (Presiding), Justice John Chigiti, and Justice Bahati
Mwamuye nullified the Gazette Notice on Thursday.
As a result, the initial Gazette
Notice was quashed, necessitating a fresh publication in line with the
judgment.
The Court had held that the initial gazettment
was procedurally flawed as it was done while a valid conservatory order was
still in force.
It however declined to nullify the
appointments, stating that the defect lay in the process of formalisation and
not in the merit of the individuals appointed.
With the fresh Gazette Notices now
issued, the Chairperson and the Commissioners are expected to take the oath of
office before the Chief Justice, paving the way for them to formally assume
their roles at the Electoral Commission.
The reconstitution of the IEBC is a
key step in preparing the country for the 2027 General Election, following the
retirement and resignation of the previous commission members.
