Hussein Marjan resigns as IEBC CEO

Marjan Hussein Marjan resigns as IEBC CEO. [File, Standard]

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marjan Hussein Marjan has resigned following a crisis meeting with commissioners on Tuesday, January 3.

The meeting questioned his procurement decisions, governance and continued stay in office.

The resignation was reached by mutual agreement and ends Marjan’s tenure at IEBC, triggering the process to recruit a new CEO.

The commission said an Acting CEO will be announced in due course to maintain continuity in the Secretariat.

Commissioners 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.

About 40 per cent of funds paid to advocates, running into hundreds of millions of shillings, were red-flagged as irregular, the sources said.

“Don’t you think your stay is not sustainable given that the entire commission has lost confidence in you?” one commissioner asked during the crisis meeting, according to sources.

Commissioners also questioned Marjan over the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) kits contract.

A two-year extension approved in 2024 to expire at the end of 2026 was signed unilaterally by Marjan when commissioners were not in office.

Under IEBC’s standard operating procedures, all purchases of strategic election materials—including ballot papers, voter registration kits, ballot boxes and box seals—must be sanctioned by commissioners.

In November 2025, after new commissioners took office, Marjan attempted to extend the framework agreement to include new equipment, but the move was rejected.

Marjan was asked why he remained in office after tendering his resignation last week Friday and whether he was negotiating an exit package within 14 days, the sources said.

He was appointed CEO March 9, 2022, after serving in an acting capacity for nearly five years following the exit of former CEO Ezra Chiloba in 2017.

Marjan oversaw one general election in his substantive role, the 2022 General Election, and managed several electoral preparations while acting CEO.

In a message to staff, Marjan said the decision followed a mutual agreement on “a structured transition in the Office of the Commission Secretary/Chief Executive Officer.”

He thanked staff for maintaining “continuity, stability, and institutional readiness during a time of transition,” particularly during the 2022 General Election.

“It has been an honour to work with a professional, dedicated, and resilient team committed to the constitutional mandate of the IEBC,” he wrote.

He also expressed deep gratitude for his time at the commission, where he first served as Deputy Commission Secretary from March 2015 before assuming the top role.

IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon described Marjan as a committed public servant who provided professional leadership during a critical phase of the commission’s operations.

“We particularly thank him for steering the Commission Secretariat during the period of absence of the Commissioners,” he noted.

The commission said the leadership transition comes as it embarks on internal reforms aimed at strengthening accountability, improving performance, and ensuring continuity in leadership.

It assured Kenyans that the changes will not affect ongoing by-elections or preparations for the 2027 general elections and are meant to enhance efficiency, transparency, and institutional readiness.

Marjan joined IEBC in March 2015 as Deputy Commission Secretary in charge of Support Services.

Before IEBC, he spent more than two decades at Telkom Kenya, including as Head of Internal Audit, Investigation and Quality.