Chebukati makes six key changes to IEBC secretariat

IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati. His selection comes three months after Treasury froze new recruitments. [File, Standard]

The electoral body chairman Wafula Chebukati has re-organised the commission’s secretariat in changes affecting six senior managers.

Through communication to the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission's (IEBC) employees by acting CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan, Chebukati made changes in the Finance, Legal, Human Resource and Supply Chain directorates.

“To ensure that the commission provides effective and efficient delivery of service to stakeholders, the changes have been agreed upon for immediate implementation,” Marjan’s circular dated July 3 reads.

The four directors have been appointed in an acting capacity, in a move likely to raise questions as to whether an acting CEO has powers to appoint. The IEBC Act and HR regulations bestow powers on the CEO to assign duties and responsibilities to staff.

Consequently, Mohamed Osman Hassan who is currently the manager administration will be the new head of human resource directorate. He replaces Irene Mutai who has been acting for over a year following the exit of Celestine Kiuluku, whose contract expired in March last year.

Manager investigations and prosecution Chrispin Owiye will be the new director of legal and public affairs. He replaces Mahamud Jabane who has been acting since October last year, after Praxedes Tororey elected to take an early retirement. It was not clear why Jabane was dropped.

Finance manager Agatha Wahome has been picked to head the finance directorate in place of Osman Hassan Ibrahim who was asked to step aside in line with a presidential directive requiring heads of procurement and accounting units to exit to give way for a lifestyle audit.  

Manager warehouse and logistics Bernard Nyachio returns to head the directorate of supply chain, which has been left vacant after another manager (procurement) Milca Chebosis was asked to step aside.

Chebosis had only acted for less than a year after former boss Lawy Aura left but was told by Marjan that the presidential directive affected her as well and she had to leave.

Irene Mutai, who had been acting HR director, was moved from her position as HR manager and re-designated as manager HR development. Her position has been taken by Joseph Ayatta.

The changes come just three months after the National Treasury slammed the brakes on the planned recruitment of senior managers to replace those who either retired or were sacked from the electoral agency.

The Treasury, in a letter to Marjan, said the commission had not obtained relevant approval for the exercise, adding that IEBC had failed to adhere to the requirement that all new recruitment remained frozen as per the Treasury circular No. 2/2018.

Two secretaries, two personal assistants and a messenger were also sent home in unclear circumstances. "Three officers in the office of Chiloba were asked to find a different working station and not from the 6th Floor," a senior official at IEBC who witnessed the incident said.