President Uhuru Kenyatta is yet to name a commissioner to replace the Dr Roselyn Akombe who resigned a week to repeat presidential polls in October last year.
The law stipulate that the President should declare a vacancy in the in the office of the chairperson or a commissioner within seven days.
However, this is yet to happen three months down the line and despite the fact that Akombe resigned formally.
The IEBC ACT states that, “The President shall publish a notice of a vacancy in the Gazette within seven days of the occurrence of such vacancy. Whenever a vacancy arises, recruitment of a new chairperson or member shall start immediately after the declaration of the vacancy by the President.”
IEBC Vice chair Connie Maina said that AKombe resigned formally having written to the President on her resignation.
“She did it formally. The commission also wrote to Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua in December last year reminding him of the process but he is yet to respond,” she said according to the Standard.
Akombe fled the country on October 18, 2017 for New York citing fears on her life. She said the environment in her home country was not conducive for her to continue working as a commissioner with IEBC.
State House in response to this on Monday said the matter has not been on the President’s priority list.
“The matter is not among areas of priority for the President. So I won’t be able to tell you when the process will start,” said State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu.
But even as this fails to make it to Uhuru’s priority list, it has also been hurdled by a law requiring Parliament to review the provision of a panel to oversee the whole process of appointing a commissioner for the IEBC.
Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale said they will review some of the laws in the appointment of commissioners because they are obsolete.