Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) vice-chairperson Fahim Araphat Abdallah has detailed her unlikely journey to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Araphat, aged 33, serves as the commission’s vice chair following her election in July 2025, days after the reconstitution of the new electoral commission, and has challenged the young people to be proactive and chase jobs.

Go get it!

“At my age, I want to tell the young people this country is for everyone,” Araphat said.

“I urge all young people. If there is any job, as long as you qualify, apply,” she advised.

She stated that she made a bold leap in her application for the role, backed by her academic qualifications

“I want to appreciate the chair of the PPLC. I did not know she was on the IEBC panel. I just took courage and applied for the job since I had the qualifications,” she said.

“The challenge we have is that people say we are not committed and we only want to dance on TikTok.”

“Nothing stops you from being a commissioner or the president of this nation: we only have to believe in ourselves and go get it,” she stated.

Araphat was thrust into the limelight as the selection process for the new commissioners took place back in May 2025.

Araphat’s rise to IEBC

She was shortlisted by the IEBC Selection Panel, nominated by President William Ruto on May 8, 2025, vetted, and approved by Parliament’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) on May 31, 2025.

During the grilling in Parliament, Fahima disclosed that she was born in 1992, grew up in Lamu, and schooled and worked mostly there despite having done her tertiary education in Nairobi.

KU and UoN alumni

She disclosed that she graduated from Kenyatta University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in commerce before returning to the University of Nairobi, where she also graduated with a master’s degree in project planning.

She equally wowed the Justice and Legal Affairs (JLAC) committee members, who were impressed by her achievements at a fairly young age and her ability to respond to complex questions with ease and poise.

“I know it is not easy to make it this far, especially coming from a small marginalized community at the far end of Kenya.”

“You are an inspiration to many girls and ladies all over this country, and it is not something that we are going to take lightly considering your age,” JLAC committee member Zulekha Harun remarked during the vetting.