1,356 Kenyans shortlisted for IEBC positions as full list set to be revealed

A total of 1,356 Kenyans have been shortlisted for the positions of chairperson and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

According to Dr. Nelson Makanda, the Chairperson of the Selection Panel for the recruitment of IEBC nominees, 37 individuals have been shortlisted for the position of Chairperson, while another 1,319 have been shortlisted for the member positions.

The 37 individuals shortlisted for the Chairperson position comprise six women and 31 men. Three of the candidates are Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs).  

The panel initially advertised for the positions after it was appointed on January 27, 2025 by President William Ruto via a gazette notice, receiving 1,848 applications, with the application period closing on February 15, 2025.

The panel subsequently undertook a careful and thorough review of all email and hard copy applications received, narrowing down the applications for both the Chairperson and Member of IEBC to a total of 1,356.

“To account for the number released on 16th of February 2025, a total of 211 applications were duplicates either in soft or hard copy, 91 were un-referenced, 14 were stray applications and 176 were email replies by applicants to the Panel’s Email auto response acknowledgement,” Makanda said in a statement on Wednesday.

He added that the full list of the shortlisted candidates will be published in local dailies on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

“Following the longlisting exercise, the Selection Panel shall now proceed to undertake the shortlisting process, the list of which will also be published soon before proceeding for the interviews,” said Makanda.

“The Panel would like to assure the public that it is working within its timelines and on course to complete its work within the 90-day deadline set out in the First Schedule to the IEBC Act.”