Miller: Why the task ahead is enormous

By David Ochami and Maseme Machuka

The nomination Cecil Guyana Miller as the chairman of the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) came as a surprise.

If confirmed by Parliament today, he would be the youngest person in Kenya to ever hold such an office.

At 39, the city lawyer of 13 years in practice as an advocate of the High Court, clearly knows that the future of redeeming and restoring the integrity of the electoral system will lie in his hands.

Mr Cecil Miller after he was named Chairman of IIEC,Tuesday. [PHOTO: PIUS CHERUIYOT /STANDARD]

Miller, who beat a raft of experienced and well-known front-runners, including former National Assembly Speaker Francis ole Kaparo, former Executive Director of the Institute of Education and Democracy Koki Muli, and Former chairman of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Maina Kiai, says he knows the work ahead is momentous.

He says he is up to the challenge. "If confirmed by Parliament, I will seek the support of my team to return integrity to the commission. I want to make Kenyans have faith in the electoral body and ensure that reforms that have for a long time been discussed are addressed," he said in an interview with The Standard.

Said he: " I have no illusion about what lies ahead. This is one of the biggest challenges in our country. The restoration of confidence to this body is critical."

Miller, the first of three sons of former Chief Justice the late Cecil Henry Ethelwood Miller, was drawn into studying law by his father.

He was still a boy when he coveted the profession and always admired his father going to the courts as a judge.

His father who came from Guyana, a tiny South American nation, which borders Brazil and Venezuela, served as a chief justice from 1986 to 1989.

Matured Dream

Yesterday, Miller said his dream matured when he was admitted as an advocate of the High Court in 1996 and in April 1998, when he became a senior partner at the Miller and Company Advocates, where he serves to date.

He said: "Reform in the IIEC is critical as per the recommendation of the Justice Kriegler Commission. We want to set a commission that will see every Kenyan free to enjoy the power of his right to vote."

Part of his responsibility will be to computerise the voter registration and see the revision of the flawed voters register.

Legal Counsel

He has served as a legal counsel at the Goldenberg Commission of Inquiry from may 2003 to February 2005, where he represented Trust Bank Ltd, Pan African Bank, Post Bank Credit, and Trade Bank Ltd.

In the recently concluded Kriegler Commission, he served as the lead counsel appointed by UNDP. This is where he came face to face with the electoral realities that put Kenya on the verge of collapse.

"During my trips across the country, I realised the people were bitter. They lost faith in the commission and wanted fundamental reforms,’ he added.

Miller went to the University of Warwick, where he studied for a Law degree before Kings College at the University of London where he did a Masters in Law. He has also an advanced Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law.

He is an alumnus of Alliance High School where he did his ‘A’ levels and St Mary’s School Nairobi, where he went for ‘O’ levels studies.

A member of the Law Society of Kenya, Miller has worked in various corporate organisations and law firms before starting his own.

He acknowledges the competition that attracted the position saying: "Most of the people, who were gunning for this post, are equally qualified men and women of high repute. That is what even makes me want to ensure that I do well the job that lies ahead of me."

He went on: "The anger we saw in people during my work at the Kriegler commission was an inspiration to me. It makes me want to change things and fix them quickly."

Miller is married to Amina Miller with three children.

The lawyer says he unwinds by going to the gym and seeks divine indulgence daily in morning prayers.