Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has come out in strong defence of newly sworn-in IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon, hailing his appointment as a historic and transformative moment for Kenya’s electoral management body.
Speaking in Nairobi on Saturday, Duale described Ethekon—a lawyer from Turkana County—as “highly qualified” and criticized those opposing his leadership on tribal grounds.
“I am happy the first minority has become the chairman of IEBC—a Turkana, very qualified. People are not complaining because of the IEBC. They are complaining because of where the chair comes from,” said Duale.
Duale’s remarks come amid criticism from a section of political actors and civil society groups, who questioned the credibility of the appointment process, even as they stopped short of directly challenging Ethekon’s qualifications.
On Friday, July 11, Ethekon officially took his oath of office at the Supreme Court alongside six new commissioners: Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, Francis Odhiambo Aduol, and Fahima Araphat Abdallah.
The swearing-in ceremony was presided over by Chief Justice Martha Koome, and follows a High Court decision on Thursday that quashed earlier gazettement notices for procedural violations but upheld the legality of the appointments themselves.
The court ruled that Gazette Notices No. 7724 and 7725, issued on June 10, 2025, had violated interim orders and were therefore procedurally defective. However, the judges declined to nullify the appointments, citing that the error lay in the process, not the merit of the appointees.
President William Ruto promptly reissued fresh gazettement notices on July 10, formalizing the appointments and enabling the new team to assume office.
Duale expressed optimism that the reconstituted IEBC would run a smooth and credible 2027 general election, adding that Kenyans should judge the commission on performance rather than ethnic affiliation.
