Former Judge of the East African Court of Justice Charles Nyachae is among those who have applied for the position of chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) according to the longlist published on dailies.
Also, former Kilifi County speaker Jimmy Kahindi is in the longlist which was compiled by the IEBC selection panel featuring 35 other applicants who have expressed interest in the position previously held by the late Wafula Chebukati.
Nyachae who was also the former chairperson of the defunct Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution between 2010-2015, resigned from the East African Court of Justice in 2024 after being appointed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta to the seat in 2018.
Credentials
Born in 1958, Nyachae holds a bachelor of laws degree from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, a bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Stirling, Scotland and a Masters Degree from the University of London.
He has also served in various capacities including being a commissioner of the Kenya Law Reform from 2003-2006, becoming the chairperson of the Institute of Education in Democracy between 1999-2003 and as a state attorney in the Office of Attorney-General.
Kahindi on his part is a seasoned lawyer who was recently appointed to by President William Ruto as the non-executive chairperson of the board at the Kenya Fishing Industries Corporation for a period of three years.
Before that, he served as the non-executive chairperson of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority Board.
Speaker of Kilifi county
Kahindi initially served as the County Assembly speaker of Kilifi and as the national treasurer of the Assembly.
He holds a bachelor of law degree LLB from the University of Nairobi and a post-graduate diploma from the Kenya School of Law.
He has over 12 years of experience in various fields including insurance claims, banking, debt collection, employment and labour law, and conveyance and property law, among other litigations.
Other notable names who have applied to be chairperson of the IEBC include former IEBC CEO James Oswago and ex-Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Anne Amadi.
In a statement on March 5, 2025, IEBC selection panel chairperson Nelson Makanda revealed that 1,319 applicants applied for the position of commissioners of the IEBC while 37 applied for the position of chairperson.
The selection panel is set to conduct interviews for the chairperson and commissioners of the IEBC before finalizing the process by April 25, 2025.
After that, the selection panel will present two names for the position of chairperson of the IEBC where President William Ruto will pick one.
The selection panel will equally present nine names to Ruto for the positions of commissioners where the president will choose six.
