President William Ruto has formally gazetted the appointments of the new Chairperson and six Commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), following a High Court decision that nullified an earlier gazette notice due to procedural flaws.
In Gazette Notice No. 9269 dated July 10, 2025, Ruto appointed Erastus Edung Ethekon as the new Chairperson of the IEBC for a six-year term. The appointment is grounded in Section 5(2) of the IEBC Act and Paragraph 4 of the First Schedule to the Act. Ethekon’s appointment marks a critical step in reconstituting the commission ahead of the 2027 General Election.
A separate Gazette Notice No. 9270 also issued on July 10, names six new commissioners: Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, Francis Odhiambo Aduol, and Fahima Araphat Abdallah. Each will also serve for six years.
These appointments come after a ruling by a three-judge bench—comprising Lady Justice Roselyne Aburili (Presiding), Justice John Chigiti, and Justice Bahati Mwamuye—which found that the initial Gazette Notice issued by the President had violated a standing conservatory court order. The judges emphasized that although the appointees were substantively qualified and their selection was valid, the process had breached legal procedure, particularly because it was executed while a court order was in place.
As a result, the court nullified the earlier Gazette Notice but declined to invalidate the actual appointments. This left the door open for the President to rectify the process through fresh gazettement.
With the new notices in place, the Chairperson and Commissioners are now expected to be sworn in by the Chief Justice, after which they can formally take up their duties.
The reconstitution of the IEBC is seen as a crucial milestone in restoring public confidence in the electoral body and preparing the country for credible elections in 2027, especially following the resignation and retirement of previous commission members.
