Bernadette Musundi has been elected as the chair of the panel that will be in charge of appointing new commissioners of the IEBC commission. In a closed day meeting that was held at County Hall Building, members of the panel also elected Prof. Abdulghafur El-Busaidy as their deputy chairman.
Addressing the media, Musundi said the panel is committed to making sure the selection process will be transparent and will be done in a professional manner. She said the panel comprises all religious groups and thus will be able to serve everybody.
The chair expressed that it is up to the panel to ensure it upholds the needs of the Kenyan and will act in a manner they believe is the best thing to do. She said, “Kenya deserves a free and fair election.” She also assured Kenyans that they will choose a committee that will serve in a dignified manner. She emphasized, “Transparency is paramount.”
Her sentiments were echoed by Abdulghafur El-Busaidy who said, “We will do our work with sincerity.” He urged suitable candidates to apply for the position of commissioner and emphasized that the panel is keen on promoting peace, fairness, and justice.
The Selection Panel is expected within the next seven days to invite applications from qualified persons and publish the names of all applicants and their qualifications in the Gazette, two newspapers of national circulation and on the website of the Parliamentary Service Commission.
The chair did, however, state that a press statement will be sent to newsrooms regarding the time frame within which it is expected to complete the vetting and selection process of commissioners.
The panel is expected to come up with a suitable commission within such a short period of time with the election period slowly closing in. This comes just a few weeks after the nine electoral commissioners and their chairman, formally resigned on Wednesday, paving the way for a new team to be picked to oversee the 2017 General Election.