President William Ruto has announced a vacancy for the chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), a position currently held by Wafula Chebukati.
In a Gazette notice, the Head of State said the tenure of the chairman and two commissioners is set to lapse on January 17, 2023.
These are commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye.
“Therefore, in the exercise of the powers conferred by Section 7A (2) of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act as read with Paragraph 1(1) of the First Schedule of IEBC Act, I notify of impending vacancies in the position of chairperson and two members of the IEBC on January 17, 2023,” he said.
The law requires the president to appoint a selection panel consisting of seven persons that will appoint their replacements six months before the lapse of their terms.
Chebukati was appointed as the chairperson in December 2016.
He was part of the Commission that oversaw the 2017 and 2022 General Elections, which were both contested at the Supreme Court. The outcome of the former was nullified, while the latter was upheld.
The three are all expected to proceed on their terminal leave anytime pending their retirement in January.
This now means that IEBC is going to be left with four commissioners- Juliana Cherera, Justus Nyangaya, Francis Wanderi and Irene Masit whose survival also lies with the National Assembly.
