At least five of the seven people nominated by President William Ruto to preside over the next General Election are facing questions about having direct or indirect links to the Head of State and ODM leader Raila Odinga, triggering protests from the opposition
While some have been their political associates in the past, with one having been a legal adviser to the now defunct ANC party founded by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, there is also the case of a relative of a member of Mr Odinga's inner sanctum.
The President on Thursday nominated Erastus Edung Ethekon, a former Turkana County attorney, to chair the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
He also appointed Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu, Mr Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Ms Mary Karen Sorobit, Mr Hassan Noor Hassan, Prof Francis Odhiambo Aduol and Ms Fahima Araphat Abdallah as commissioners.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has already faulted President Ruto over claims of being partisan in the nominations.
“We are extremely concerned that Mr Ruto chose to be partisan by ignoring the principle of consultation and concurrence in his recommendations of the Chairman and Members of the IEBC. This action has automatically created a low-trust institution. As we had stated in prior correspondence on the subject, it is now evident that the intention is to rig not only the next election but also the upcoming by-elections,” Mr Musyoka said, even as he promised release of a comprehensive statement by the opposition on Monday.
At the funeral of Kariobangi North MCA Joel Munuve in Mwingi on Friday, Mr Musyoka said as a player and contestant in the 2027 presidential elections, Dr Ruto cannot purport to unilaterally appoint the referee who will oversee the game.
But Mr Musyoka was quick to assure Kenyans that he was ready to square it off and defeat President Ruto, with or without reaching a compromise on constituting a new IEBC.
"He can as well go ahead and appoint himself as the chairman of IEBC but we will still send him home in 2027" he said.
He specifically accused Dr Ruto of ignoring the recommendations of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, on consultation and concurrence in appointing the new IEBC commissioners, which were agreed upon by both Kenya Kwanza coalition and the Opposition parties led by Azimio.
"Our parties were not consulted as the basic practice and standard in any democracy, but we will soldier on to save this country from Ruto's misrule" he said.
His remarks were echoed by DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa who said the President's action was proof that he was desperate to win elections amid dwindling political fortunes.
Mr Ethekon, who is set to replace Mr Wafula Chebukati who exited office in January 2023 and died in February 2025, is a close associate of President Ruto’s Deputy chief of Staff Josephat Nanok.
Mr Ethekon served as Turkana County Attorney during the reign of Mr Nanok who was then the Governor of Turkana on Mr Odinga’s ODM party ticket.
In May 2023, Senate Committee on County Public Investments and Special Funds summoned Mr Nanok over the shareholder position he holds in a county water company.
He was summoned to explain why he was a director of Turkana County Rural Water Services, alongside Mr Ethekon, who was his co-director and shareholder, among other individuals.
Moses Atulala Mukhwana.
Photo credit: Nation Media Group
Dr Mukhwana, who was nominated as a commissioner, has since 2024 been serving in a taskforce to address human resource for health that was appointed by the President.
He is also a close associate of Mr Mudavadi, having served as his legal consultant in the defunct Amani National Congress (ANC) party.
Hailing from Uasin Gishu County, Ms Sorobit is also a close associate of President Ruto, dating back to the time the President served as United Republican Party (URP) leader.
In 2016, she made it to the list of a nine-member team to recruit new electoral commissioners ahead of the 2017 election.
Alongside Evans Monari, Rtd Justice Tom Mbaluto and Ogla Chepkemoi Karani, Ms Sorobit’s was among the four names by the Parliamentary Service Commission representing major political parties.
The other members who represented religious groups, were Bernadette Musundi, Peter Karanja, Abdulghafur El-Busaidy, David Oginde and Rajesh Rawal.
Ms Sorobit also served as the deputy director and director of the Jubilee Party of Kenya between 2017 and 2021. Dr Ruto was Jubilee’s deputy party leader.
Ms Abdallah, on the other hand, is a close associate of Lamu Governor Issa Timamy and has held several positions in the county.
Ms Fahima Araphat Abdallah.
Photo credit: Nation Media Group
Mr Timamy is an ally of Prime Cabinet Secretary Mudavadi, who headed his defunct ANC party. Last year, he was made co-deputy party leader of the president’s UDA following the party’s merger with ANC.
Ms Abdallah is currently serving as a member of the Lamu County Assembly Service Board and was a Ward administrator of Shella Ward during Mr Timamy’s first term as Governor.
Mr Hassan Noor Hassan, on his part, is a staunch member of Mr Odinga’s ODM party, having unsuccessfully contested the Mandera gubernatorial seat in the last election.
The long-serving provincial administrator is also linked to National Assembly Minority leader Junet Mohamed, a close confidant of Mr Odinga.
A National Youth Service (NYS) probe in 2020 revealed that Mr Hassan was Mr Mohammed’s brother-in-law, married to the Suna East MP’s sister Meymuna Sheikh Nuh.
Mr Hassan’s nomination rekindles controversy that preceded his late inclusion in the shortlist of candidates for the commissioner position.
The former chief administrative secretary for Sports and Education was among six names sneaked into the shortlist by the IEBC selection panel just days before the start of the interviews.
Ms Nderitu, currently the Registrar of Political Parties, is a former staff at the IEBC, and her appointment is seen as a continuation of the system.
Ms Ann Nderitu.
Photo credit: Nation Media Group
Already, the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has directed the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs to immediately begin the approval process for the nominees.
In a communiqué dated May 9, 2025, Mr Wetang’ula ordered the committee to undertake the necessary approval hearings given the urgency to have the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission reconstituted.
“The committee is expected to immediately commence the approval process and, thereafter, table its report immediately upon resumption of the house on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 to also enable the House to consider the nominees within the statutory timelines,” the communiqué stated.
This follows a recruitment process by the IEBC selection panel, chaired by Dr Nelson Makanda, which interviewed 11 candidates for the chairperson position and 107 for commissioner roles.
Under the IEBC Act, the President is required to forward the list of nominees to Parliament within seven days. Upon parliamentary approval, the President then has seven days to formally appoint the chairperson and commissioners.
The IEBC has remained inactive for over two years, following the January 2023 retirement of former chairperson Wafula Chebukati and commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye.
Civil society groups have already raised alarm, calling for transparency and nonpartisan appointments.
On Thursday, Elections Observer Group (ELOG) demanded for immediate publication of the IEBC recruitment report.
“Following the completion of the (recruitment) exercise, ELOG is concerned that the report was only submitted to the President and was not made public. Accordingly, therefore, we demand the immediate release of the full recruitment report,” read the statement in part.
ELOG noted that, transparency and accountability through the observance of open data principles are fundamental for good governance, hence withholding the report undermines public trust, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the recruitment exercise.
It warned that failure to release the recruitment report will only deepen suspicions and promote unnecessary speculations.
“Public trust in electoral institutions is critical not only because elections are a people process' but also because it is an integral part of enhancing the credibility of electoral processes.”
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi, however, told off the Wiper leader, who is among politicians opposed to the nominees.
“Dear Kalonzo, stop pre-occupation of who becomes the IEBC chairperson or commissioners. The popular will of the people is sacrosanct to even the worst electoral body on planet earth,” said Mr Amisi.
He went on: “These Nasa, Cord, Azimio gimmicks of IEBC must go never took anyone of you to statehouse. You guys wasted us. If I were leading you, by now Kenya would have changed and moved on.”
He told the Wiper leader to focus his energies on popularizing himself as “an alternative to an already crumbling coalition.”
