Panel to pick poll officials listed as current team quits

IEBC Chairman Isaack Hassan explains to the Senate Committee on Public Accounts the criteria used to reach campaign funding celling for political seats at Parliament Buildings Nairobi. More nominees to a panel meant to recruit new electoral commissioners have been picked, as the serving nine poll officials gave notices of their resignation. (PHOTO: MOSES OMUSULA/ STANDARD)

More nominees to a panel meant to recruit new electoral commissioners have been picked, as the serving nine poll officials gave notices of their resignation.

The list of persons to recruit new commissioners of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was
completed after all three groups mandated by law submitted their names to the Parliamentary Service Commission
(PSC) for onward transmission to President Uhuru Kenyatta for appointment.

The ruling Jubilee coalition became the last entity to give its names, nominating lawyers Evans Monari and Mary Caren Kigen-Sorobit to the panel.

The two joined Ogla Karani and Justice Tom Mbaluto who were last week nominated by the Opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD).

"On behalf of the Jubilee coalition, this is to submit the two names of our proposed nominees for appointment into the selection panel contemplated under the IEBC Act," read a letter written by the coalition and addressed to the Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye, who is also the Secretary of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).

Those earlier nominated by the religious bodies are the Rev Canon Peter Karanja (National Council of Churches of Kenya General, Prof Abdulghafur El-Busaidy (Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims), and Bernadette Musundi (Catholic Church).

Others are Bishop David Oginde of Christ Is The Answer Ministries who is representing the Evangelical Churches of Kenya and Ravindra Bhurma for the Hindu Council of Kenya.

PSC will submit the names to the President, setting in motion the recruitment exercise.

Both Monari and Kigen are advocates of the High Court. Monari represented former Police Commissioner Mohammed Hussein Ali at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in his crime against humanity case following the 2007/2008 post-election violence.

Karani is currently the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) secretary for international affairs, while Justice Mbaluto is a former High Court judge.

The PSC received the complete list just 24 hours after the current commissioners submitted their notices of resignation, ending months of political pressure that they leave office.

Yesterday, the president's Chief of Staff Joseph Kinyua announced that the Chairperson and Commissioners of the IEBC have tendered their written notices of resignation to President Uhuru Kenyatta.

He reiterated the Government's "unwavering commitment to pursuing a seamless and lawful transition within the IEBC and to having the 8th August 2017 general election proceed on schedule."

The Standard, however, learnt that in their notices of resignation, the commissioners had indicated that they will vacate office upon the swearing in of new commissioners as the law does not anticipate a vacuum in the electoral commission.

The law is silent on how long the president can take with the names of members of the select panel before he formally appoints them.

But even assuming that he appoints them within hours of receiving the names from the PSC, their swearing in will have to wait for the appointment of a new Chief Justice, who is mandated to conduct the exercise.

Yesterday, Speaker of the National Assembly, Justin Muturi clarified that the seven-day count before the vetting of CJ nominee Justice David Maraga begins today, which means that Justice Maraga will be vetted on October 13.