President William Ruto has signed into law the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO)-backed Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) 2024 Act, introducing a new electoral framework.
A key feature of the new Act is an expanded recruitment panel, which now includes the chairman and commissioners of the electoral agency.
“The Assent to the IEBC Amendment Bill marks a significant step in the actualization of one of the recommendations of NADCO and the signing of this Bill paves way for the establishment of a selection panel for the appointment of IEBC Commissioners,” said Ruto.
Ruto emphasized that the bill, based on NADCO’s recommendations and passed by Parliament, enables the reconstitution of the IEBC Commission, ensuring it can perform critical electoral functions such as conducting elections and reviewing boundaries.
“The IEBC remains a cornerstone of our democracy responsible for overseeing regular elections at various levels ensuring that our electoral cycle is managed transparently and administered in an impartial neutral, efficient, accurate and accountable manner,” he stated.
Ruto also urged Parliament to expedite the processing of other recommendations from the NADCO report, aiming to implement various related bills.
The signing ceremony at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) was attended by opposition leader Raila Odinga and his Wiper counterpart Kalonzo Musyoka.
The National Dialogue Committee, comprising leaders from both the Kenya Kwanza and Azimio coalitions, recommended several legislative proposals. These include the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Leader of Opposition Bill, 2024, and National Government Coordination (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Other proposed bills are the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Statutory Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
