Interviews for IEBC chairperson begin Tuesday

Written By:Margaret Kalekye, Posted: Sun, Oct 09, 2011 Interviews for the 44 short-listed candidates seeking appointment to the commission has for the last one week been undertaken at KICC Interviews to pick the chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) are scheduled to begin on Tuesday this week. Eight candidates have been short-listed for interviews to fill the position of the chairperson of the commission. These are: Isaak Hassan, who is the current chair of IIEC, Mrs Consolata Wanjiku Ngondi, Onsando Osiemo, Koki Mercy Muli, Murshid Abdalla Mohamed, Wakahiu George Njenga, Kinuthia Mwangi and Wanja Ann Kariuki. The IEBC selection panel re-advertised the position after getting very few applications. Those who had earlier applied for the chairman's position were electoral and constitutional law expert Ms Koki Muli, the current IIEC chairman Isaack Hassan and Mr Keloong who was later disqualified on technical grounds. The selected candidates will be interviewed on October 11 and 12 in an exercise open to the media. To qualify for the post of chairperson, one has to be qualified to serve as a Supreme Court judge and must be a Kenyan citizen holding a degree from a recognised university. He or she must also have proven experience in fields such as electoral matters, governance, law, management, finance and public administration. Interviews for the 44 short-listed candidates seeking appointment to the commission has for the last one week been undertaken at Kenyatta International Conference Centre, in Nairobi. The panel received 427 applications and shortlisted 44 for the eight slots in the IEBC. According to the IEBC Act of 2011, the Selection Panel will select three persons for the position of chairperson, and 13 for posts of commissioners. The names will be forwarded to the President and PM to nominate one person for chairperson, and eight commissioners. Appointment The nominees will then be forwarded to the National Assembly for vetting and approval. A parliamentary committee will, within 14 days of receiving the names, consider the nominees and make recommendations to Parliament, which will, within 14 days of its next seating, consider the nominations and make a decision on whether to reject or approve the nominees. If the nominees are approved the Speaker will within seven days forward the names to the President for appointment. If the any of the nominees is rejected the Speaker will inform the President, who will within 14 days of the rejection, submit a new nominee from the panel's list to the national assembly.