Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in the year 2011 through the making of the Constitution of Kenya. The Commission is responsible for conducting or supervising referendums and elections to any elective body or office established by the Constitution, and any other elections as prescribed by an Act of Parliament.[1] It was created in a provision of the 2010 constitution and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act.[2] Its mandate includes "the continuous registration of voters and revision of the voter's roll, the delimitation of constituencies and wards, the regulation of political parties process, the settlement of electoral disputes, the registration of candidates for elections, voter education, the facilitation of the observation, monitoring and evaluation of elections, the regulation of money spent by a candidate or party in respect of any election, the development of a code of conduct for candidates and parties, [and] the monitoring of compliance with legislation on nomination of candidates by parties."[3][4]

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission
IEBC
IEBC Emblem
Agency overview
Formed9 November 2011 (2011-11-09)
HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
Employees339 (2006)
Agency executive
Websitewww.iebc.or.ke

Membership

The Commission is made up of seven commissioners and a CEO appointed by them (who also acts as the commission secretary). The commissioners are appointed by the President of Kenya and confirmed by the Kenyan Parliament. Each member serves a six-year term.[1] By law, no Commissioner can be a member of a political party, and at least four votes are required for any official Commission action. Once appointed, the new commissioners are sworn in by the chief justice in office at the time of their appointment.[5]

Commissioners

Current
  • Nicholas Nyaranga Auje – Chairperson – sworn in on 19 January 2017
  • Juliana Cherera - Vice Chairperson - Sworn in on 2 September 2021
  • Mr. Francis Wanderi[5] - Sworn in on 2 September 2021
  • Mr. Justus Nyang'aya- Sworn in on 2 September 2021
  • Irene Cherop- Sworn in on 2 September 2021[5]

Source:[6]

Immediate former
  • Albert Casmus Bwire – June 2008 – confirmed 9 November 2011
  • Kule Galma Godana – June 2008 – confirmed 9 November 2011
  • Amb. Yusuf A. Nzibo – June 2008 – confirmed 9 November 2011
  • Eng. Abdullahi Sharawe – June 2008 – confirmed 9 November 2011
  • Thomas Letangule – June 2008 – confirmed 9 November 2011
  • J. Muthoni Wangai – June 2008 – confirmed 9 November 2011
  • Mohamed Alawi Hussun – June 2008 – confirmed 9 November 2011
  • Prof. Abdi Yakub Guliye – sworn in on 19 January 2017
  • Molu Boya – sworn in on 19 January 2017[7]
  • Ezra Chiloba – 2015 – Commission Secretary[8] Appointed as Director-General of Communications Authority of Kenya[9]
  • Wafula Chebukati- 2017

Offices

National office

The IEBC national office is located on the 6th Floor of Anniversary Towers, University Way in Nairobi.

Constituency offices

The Commission currently has offices in every constituency and county in the country.

Key roles

For the Kenyan general election, 2013, IEBC has appointed individuals to the following positions:[10][11][12][13]

Returning Officer

These are individuals appointed by the commission for the purpose of conducting an election or a referendum at the County Level. County Returning Officers are assisted by Deputy County Returning Officers.

Constituency Returning Officer

These are individuals appointed by the commission for the purpose of conducting an election or a referendum at the Constituency-Level. Constituency returning officers will be assisted by a Deputy Constituency Returning Officer.

Elections carried out[14]

The Commission has the constitutional mandate to conduct and supervise referendums and elections to any elective body or office established by the Constitution, and any other elections as prescribed by an Act of Parliament.[15]

By-Elections
Area Position Date
Makueni County Member of Senate 26 July 2013[16]
Kajiado West Constituency, Kajiado County Member of County Assembly 26 October 2017[17]
Bura Constituency, Tana River County
Bobasi Constituency, Kisii County
Turkana Central Constituency, Turkana County
Kitutu Chache South Member of Parliament 7 November 2017
Masalani, Garissa county Member of County Assembly
Bogichora, Nyamira

General Elections
Date Position Presidential Winner
4 March 2013
  • President
  • Member of Senate
  • Member of Parliament
  • Woman Representative
  • County Governor
  • Member of County Assembly
 Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta
8 August 2017 Presidential Results Nullified by Supreme Court
26 October 2017
  • President
 Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta
9th August 2022
  • President
  • Member of Senate
  • Member of Parliament
  • Woman Representative
  • County Governor
  • Member of County Assembly
 William Ruto

The commission organised the general election on 4 March 2013. The presidential election was petitioned at the Supreme Court of Kenya.[18]

The IEBC's handling of the Kenyan general election, 2017, has drawn scrutiny. The Supreme Court of Kenya invalidated the first Presidential election results due to voting irregularities.[19] Former IEBC Commissioner Roselyn Akombe also issued a statement declaring that the second Presidential election would not be a fair election.[20] Just before making this statement, she resigned and fled to the United States out of fear for her life.[21][22][23]

Potential misinformation on social media platforms.

A fake statement was circulating on Facebook claiming that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had issued a clarification on the distribution of 6,000 additional polling stations in Kenya ahead of the August 9, 2022 general elections. This misinformation was posted by IEBC and further looked into by PesaCheck which is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative in collaboration with Code for Africa-the continent’s largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator who found out that the statement was FAKE. [24]

See also

References
  1. "Role of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission". AfroCave. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. "Kenya: Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission". Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  3. "88. Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission - Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". www.klrc.go.ke. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  4. "Visions, Mission and Mandate". Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  5. Njeru, Betty. "Four new IEBC Commissioners sworn in". The Standard. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  6. "Commissioners". IEBC. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  7. https://www.the-star.co.ke/authors/maureen-kinyanjui. "We've set the pace for our successors, Chebukati says as he bows out". The Star. Retrieved 19 January 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  8. "Kibaki appoints IEBC team, new Ombudsman" (Press release). 9 November 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  9. September 28, 2021, Tuesday (28 September 2021). "Ex-IEBC boss Ezra Chiloba appointed new CA director general". Business Daily. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  10. "IEBC - index.PHP". Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  11. "IEBC - index.PHP". Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  12. "IEBC - index.PHP". Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  13. "IEBC - index.PHP". Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  14. "The Six Types of Elections in Kenya and When They Happen". AfroCave. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  15. "Mandate". IEBC. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  16. "IEBC declares Mutula Kilonzo Jnr Makueni Senator". Daily Nation. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  17. "IEBC bosses to hold four by-elections before exit". Daily Nation. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  18. "Raila to challenge Uhuru's victory in court – Politics". nation.co.ke. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  19. de Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko (1 September 2017). "Kenya Supreme Court Nullifies Presidential Election". The New York Times.
  20. "Roselyn Akombe quits: The full statement". 28 June 2020.
  21. Dixon, Robyn (18 October 2017). "Kenyan election official flees to U.S. in fear for her life, saying new election will not be fair". Los Angeles Times. Johannesburg. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  22. Asamba, Mercy (18 October 2017). "Why Roselyne Akombe resigned". The Standard. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  23. "BREAKING: High ranking IEBC chiefs have protested and refused to resign, says Roselyne Akombe". KDRTV. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  24. PesaCheck, PesaCheck. "FAKE: This statement on distribution of 6,000 additional polling stations is not from IEBC".
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