National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has formally started the parliamentary approval process for new leadership at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
The action follows President William Ruto's submission of nominees to fill the vacant positions of chairperson and six commissioners.
The list of nominees, received by the speaker's office on Friday, proposes Erastus Edung as the chairperson.
The commissioner nominees include Ann Nderitu, Moses Mukhwana, Mary Sorobit, Hassan Noor, Francis Aduol, and Fahima Abdalla.
The names emerged from a rigorous selection process conducted by a recruitment panel which was hired under the guidance of the National Dialogue Committee and the requisite law.
With the National Assembly currently in recess, Wetang'ula invoked special provisions allowing urgent parliamentary business to proceed without recalling lawmakers.
The nominees have been referred to the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs, which now has a tight 18-day timeline to complete vetting and report back to plenary.
"The urgency to reconstitute the IEBC cannot be overstated," Wetang'ula said in his notification, directing Jlac to immediately commence approval hearings.
The committee chaired by Tharaka MP Gitonga Murugara is expected to scrutinise the nominees and report by May 27 when the House resumes regular sittings.
“The clerk is hereby required to submit this notification to all members of the National Assembly and facilitate the committee to undertake the necessary approval hearings on the nominees referred to them for consideration,” the memo reads.
Among the items checked by the vetting committee are professional backgrounds, integrity records and overall suitability.
IEBC commissioner and chairperson jobs are sensitive electoral positions, hence draw a lot of attention from the political players and Kenyans at large.
The IEBC has been operating below capacity for months, affecting its ability to handle by-elections and boundary reviews.
The vetting process will include public hearings where nominees are expected to defend their credentials and demonstrate their understanding of the role.
Parliament has powers to reject a nominee who fails the suitability test, a situation which would require the president to make a fresh nomination.
The Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, provides that "an appointment under the Constitution or any other law for which the approval of Parliament is required shall not be made unless the appointment is approved or deemed to have been approved by Parliament."
The President is to pick the replacement from the list of two members nominated for chairman and nine submitted for member by the selection panel.
If approved by Parliament, the new IEBC leadership would take office at a time when Kenya faces several electoral milestones, including pending by-elections and preparations for the 2027 general election.
