President William Ruto has named a nine-member selection panel tasked with recruiting the next chairperson and commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The newly appointed panel members are scheduled to take their oath of office at 9 a.m. on Monday at the Supreme Court buildings, with the ceremony overseen by Chief Justice Martha Koome.
According to a gazette notice dated January 27, the panel members include Kiome Lindah Gakii, Oloo Adams, James Evans Misati, Nicodemus Kipchirchir Bore, Koki Muli Grignon, Carolene Kituku, Tanui Andrew Kipkoech, Nelson Makanda, and Fatuma Saman. Their primary responsibility is to recruit nominees for the positions of IEBC chairperson and commissioners.
The appointments follow a January 24 court ruling that lifted orders previously blocking the formation of the selection panel.
Kiambu High Court Judge Dora Chepkwony dismissed a 2024 petition by Boniface Njogu, which claimed that the list lacked representation of persons with disabilities and failed to ensure regional and ethnic balance. Njogu had argued that four nominees—Caroline Kituku, Koki Muli, Andrew Tanui Kipkoech, and Nicodemus Kipchirchir Bore—came from the same region, contravening Article 10 of the Constitution.
However, Justice Chepkwony ruled that Njogu had not provided sufficient evidence to prove constitutional or statutory violations in the appointments. She also dismissed a separate petition challenging Azimio la Umoja’s nomination process, stating that claims of non-competitive recruitment could not be substantiated.
