Vetting of IEBC nominees to start Tuesday

The vetting of candidates nominated for appointment to the Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) starts Tuesday, amid mixed reactions about their suitability.

Wafula Chebukati, who is seeking to succeed Issack Hassan as the chairman, will be the first to face the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, chaired by Samuel Chepkonga, to defend his suitability for the position.

President Uhuru Kenyatta received a list of two nominees for chairperson and nine for commissioners and was expected to pick the chairperson and six commissioners within seven days.

Questions have been raised about Mr Chebukati's appropriateness for the position following reports that other candidates performed better than he did in interviews conducted by the IEBC selection panel.

President Kenyatta settled on Mr Chebukati, leaving out Tukero ole Kina, who was widely viewed as the most appropriate nominee, given that the current IEBC Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba comes from the same region as Mr Chebukati.

But members of the selection committee, chaired by Bernadette Musundi, have since defended themselves against accusations that they were not fair, saying the panel did not receive any memoranda about Mr Chebukati.

Three other candidates — Consolata Nkatha Bucha Maina, Boya Molu and Roselyne Kwamboka Akombe — are also slotted for vetting at at County Hall, Nairobi, starting at 10am.

The remaining three — Paul Kibiwot Kurgat, Margaret Wanjala Mwachanya and Abdi Guliye — will face the MPs on Wednesday.

Besides original academic certificates, the committee will also seek to establish whether the nominees conform to Chapter Six of the Constitution on leadership and integrity.