Kenya has sworn in a new set of top electoral officials to lead the country’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), in what many see as a crucial move towards stabilising public trust ahead of the 2027 general election.
The appointment of the IEBC chairperson and six commissioners was confirmed on Friday after swift approval by President William Ruto. The officials will serve six-year terms, taking over leadership at a time of heightened political tension and widespread civil dissatisfaction.
The ceremony, broadcast live by local stations, was presided over by Chief Justice Martha Koome, who addressed the new appointees with a call for integrity and responsiveness to citizen concerns.
“You are taking office at a time when our nation is undergoing a period of great reckoning, a moment when Kenyans, especially our young people, are expressing discontent, are expressing frustrations with public institutions,” she said.
Chairperson Erastus Ethekon, a seasoned human rights lawyer and former legal adviser to Turkana County, vowed to restore public confidence in the electoral process. “My first and foremost loyalty is to the people of Kenya who hold the sovereign power,” he said. “I wish to assure Kenyans that their voices will not only be heard, but they will also count during the coming elections.”
Ethekon previously held roles at the United Nations Development Programme and with the UN Resident Coordinator’s office in Kenya.
The swearing-in follows mounting pressure on President Ruto’s administration from mass protests led by young Kenyans demanding electoral reforms, better governance, and a reduction in living costs. Last year’s demonstrations repeatedly called for the reconstitution of the IEBC, whose leadership had remained in limbo since the suspension of four commissioners in December 2022.
The suspended commissioners had rejected the 2022 election results, alleging irregularities in the vote tallying process. Their claims were dismissed by Kenya’s Supreme Court, which upheld Ruto’s win.
With the IEBC now fully reconstituted, attention will shift to how the new team navigates Kenya’s historically fraught electoral terrain and whether they can deliver on their promises of fairness, transparency, and public accountability.
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