Nacada, EACC bosses among nine picked for IEBC CEO post

Nacada CEO Anthony Omerikwa. [Courtesy]

Nacada CEO Anthony Omerikwa and former EACC CEO Halakhe Waqo are among nine candidates shortlisted for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC) Chief Executive Officer position.

Also shortlisted include Harley Mutisya(Makueni), Edmund Malitt(Homabay), Andrew Kimani(Nairobi), Mohamed Abdi(Wajir), Edward Ngeywa(Trans Nzoia), Martina Yattani(Marsabit) and Nelly Ilongo(Taita Taveta).

It is worth noting that the current Acting IEBC CEO Ruth Kulundu and her predecessor Moses Sunkuli were missing among either those who applied or were shortlisted for the position that was formerly held by Marjan Hussein Marjan who resigned in February.

“It was a great honour to work with dedicated staff at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission since I joined the commission as the Deputy Commission Secretary in 2015 and later rose up to serve as Commission Secretary in 2022,” said Marjan in February.

Sunkuli had served as the Acting CEO for six months from February to August when Kulundu took over with the two having served in various positions in the commission for many years and it was not clear whether they were interested in the position or not.

IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said that the commission had received applications from 304 individuals out of which the nine was shortlisted with interviews for the Commission Secretary expected to be conducted on November 12 and 13 this year.

“The shortlisting process considered relevant experience applicable for the scope, complexity and scope of the role, we also ensured that gender, regional balance and the inclusion of persons with disabilities was adhered to,” said Ethekon.

The IEBC is expected to undertake key activities ahead of the General Election, including voter registration, electoral technology preparations, boundary-related processes and engagement with political parties and other stakeholders.

Marjan was forced to resign from his position following a crisis meeting where the IEBC Commissioners are said to have questioned his procurement decisions, governance and continued stay in office.

The Commissioners are said to have confronted Marjan over an Auditor-General report that flagged governance concerns in procurement and employment, including payments to advocates and the handling of election technology.

Marjan who was appointed the IEBC CEO on March 2022 oversaw the last general election and managed several electoral preparation activities a after serving in an acting capacity for nearly five years following the exit of former CEO Ezra Chiloba in 2018.

Chiloba dramatically announced his own firing in October 2018 after receiving a termination letter after refusing to appear before the disciplinary committee following protracted wrangles between him and the commission then chaired by the late Wafula Chebukati.

“My employment with the IEBC has officially been terminated, this does not come as a surprise to Kenyans who have been monitoring the events at the IEBC in the last six months, the outcome was already predetermined and the process was a mere formality,” said Chiloba.

James Oswago served as the IEBC CEO before Chiloba and was hounded out office in a controversial manner following differences with then IEBC Chairperson Ahmed Issak Hassan and even moved to court to stop his replacement.