Past ghosts came to haunt some of the individuals seeking to serve as the chairperson of the electoral agency even as they defended their decision to go for the job considered by many as risky.
Four candidates out of 11 seeking to be the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) boss yesterday appeared before the selection panel that kicked off the process of reconstituting new commissioners.
The four who appeared on day one included former East African Court of Justice judge Charles Nyachae, former Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Anne Atieno Amadi, the current Chief Magistrate in Naivasha Law Courts Abdulqadir Lorot Ramadan, and Edward Katama Ngeywa (PWD).
Mr Nyachae had a rough day convincing the selection panel that he would deliver on his job if appointed the chairperson of the electoral body.
“I do not intend to lose my life serving the people of Kenya as chair commissioner of IEBC and I have no intention at any point of compromising on integrity. I have no hesitation in believing that I can do it,” he said of the danger of the job.
He promised: “What I would want, with a good team, is to be remembered, if I get this job, as the chairman who was able to completely reduce the gap of trust deficit between the people of Kenya and the electoral body in election issues.”
Mr Nyachae resigned as the judge of the East African Court of Justice in January 2024, a step that has come to haunt him.
According to Mr Nyachae, he resigned because the court was not a full-time job, so he felt he was drawing a salary with little work to do.
However, Prof Adams Oloo, who is a member of the panel, questioned his capability of running the country’s elections, which are always emotive with a lot of competing interests by the political class.
“I will not quit because I do not anticipate a situation at IEBC if I’m recruited as chair, that I simply don’t have anything to do and therefore there is no point in me going there, I do not anticipate that... I know at IEBC there’s a lot to do unlike at EACJ where I was earning 2,000 USD but doing nothing, and that’s why I had to quit. Even with pressure at IEBC I won’t quit, I must handle it impartially,” Mr Nyachae said.
Mr Nyachae said that no amount of pressure would force him to quit the position if appointed, adding that on the contrary, the commission has a lot of work which motivates him.
The panel, chaired by Dr Nelson Makanda, also received a petition from a youth lobby group opposing Mr Nyachae’s candidature. The youth staged a demonstration outside the venue as the interviews were ongoing to express their opposition against Mr Nyachae.
According to Kenya Youth leader Johnmark Ababu, Mr Nyachae should not have been shortlisted for the position, citing his age.
“When will the youth be recognised? No youth has been listed among the candidates. We want people like Charles Nyachae to give room to the youth,” Mr Ababu said.
According to the petition tabled before the Dr Makanda-led panel, the youth questioned Mr Nyachae’s financial management capacity, based on his previous position as chairperson of the commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC).
However, Mr Nyachae dismissed the allegations, saying that he is up to the task and that he is being guided by the qualification that he has for the job if given the opportunity.
“The reason that I am offering myself is because I remain passionate about the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and I believe that the electoral process is really the backbone of the democratic architecture that the people of Kenya envisaged in that constitution. I believe that I have something to offer to the people of Kenya.”
Also, the youth questioned Mr Nyachae’s political affiliation with President William Ruto, which they said propelled his appointment to the East African Court of Justice.
“Unless every other person appointed to the East African Court of Justice from Kenya has gone there by virtue of political patronage, I think there is no evidence to that. This is purely scandalous,” Mr Nyachae said as he dismissed the allegations.
Ms Amadi told the selection panel that she is up to the task, and that given the job, she would serve with dignity without bias.
Ms Amadi said that serving for more than 20 years in public service has given her enough experience to understand how to work under pressure, noting that the IEBC chairperson position that she is seeking is not for the faint-hearted.
“I have come from a very high voltage position and I was very conscious that IEBC is a very high voltage before I consulted within myself and said that I wanted to give it a try,” Ms Amadi said.
Ms Amadi stated that she is tested and tried for the position, adding that she has tackled a number of tasks that have strengthened her position in handling such matters.
“I have been tested and tried and I have undertaken high voltage national processes relating to transitions of two presidents of this country and I did it successfully. “
The allegations of her involvement in a gold scam also came to haunt her but she dismissed it as a malicious attack that was meant to taint her career.
“For me it was a malicious attack of which when you are in public service you must be ready for. Public service at some point is not for the faint-hearted. It was an attempt to shake me, an attempt to mudsling my reputation because I have upheld my integrity.”
Ms Amadi stated that she has no experience in the gold trade and that she resigned from the company which had been sued in the case before joining the Judiciary
Abdulqadir Lorot Ramadan, who is the chief magistrate in Naivasha Law Courts was the first candidate to face the panel, where he stated that given the job, he would ensure that the indifferences between the commission’s chairperson and CEO comes to an end.
Mr Lorot told the panel that he would ensure that all the commissioners played their roles without any interference.
“My responsibility, along with that of other commissioners, is policy oversight and strategy. The chairperson can only give directions to the CEO, while others fulfill their respective roles. This is how an institution is expected to function,” Mr Lorot said.
He also said that given the job, he would protect IEBC commissioners from any form of intimidation.
Mr Ngeywa who was the last candidate to face the panel on Monday informed the panel that given the chance, he would ensure that voter suppression does not take place under his watch by ensuring that voter registrar is updated.
He stated that special people in the society would be taken care of by ensuring that they are educated about voting in order for them to participate in elections.
“By the time we are going to register the voters, we have adequate information among the people of what they are supposed to do,” Mr Ngeywa said.
Other panel members include Kiome Lindah Gakii, James Evans Misati, Nicodemus Kipchirchir Bore, Koki Muli Grignon, Carolene Kituku, Tanui Andrew Kipkoech, and Fatuma Saman.
