The Independent and Electoral Body Commission (IEBC) director for legal services Chriphine Owiye has expressed his challenge to the newly formed IEBC selection panel.

Speaking during an interview on a local TV on Thursday, January 30, 2025, Owiye who was accompanied by the commission’s CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan, urged the members to approach the task of reconstituting the electoral body with the utmost professionalism.

“We have the process of recruitment of the commissioners afoot. It is guided by the law. Our prayer is that the selection panel does a thorough job and come up with commissioners who are well grounded, highly professional of high integrity and who are able to be good team players with the secretariat,” Owiye remarked.

The director further revealed that the commission’s secretariat had sought legal advice from the Supreme Court on the way forward on a number of issues arising from the unmet deadlines arising from the delays in the reconstitution process of the electoral body.

Among the issues fronted include whether the delimitation be done after time-lapse and whether or not the delimitation timeline can be extended beyond the 8-12 years since the last exercise was undertaken.

The commission further seeks to determine the remedies that could be in place for the specific constitutional breaches arising due to the delays.

According to the director, the matter will be up for the deputy registrar of the Apex court to give guidance on the prayers issued to the court on February 3rd.

The names of the nine persons were set rolling after a Kiambu Law court quashed one of the numerous court cases lodged to challenge the process thus paving the way for the Senate to proceed with the gazettement of the nominees.

Following President Ruto’s move to appoint the nine-person body to oversee the appointment of the commissioners Monday, January 27, 2025, repeated calls to duty have been made to the panel ahead of the monumental task.

Chief Justice Martha Koome charged them observe merit Kenya’s future democracy depends on the people who they will recommend to occupy the offices which were left vacant by the former IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati and commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye who exited office on January 17, 2023.

“Your guiding principle must be merit, and merit alone. The individuals you select must inspire confidence in the electoral system and uphold the values of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. Kenyans are watching, and the trust they place in our institutions will be determined by the integrity of the choices you make.” Koome said.