President William Samoei Ruto has officially appointed Erastus Edung Ethekon as the new chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The appointment, which was formally documented under Gazette Notice No. 7724 and published in a special issue of the Kenya Gazette dated Tuesday, June 10, 2025, invokes the powers conferred upon the Head of State under Article 250 (2) of the Constitution of Kenya.
According to the notice, the president has appointed Edung to take up the mantle as chairperson of the commission for a term of six years, a period during which the IEBC will be expected to recalibrate its credibility and reinforce public trust in electoral processes.
“IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by Article 250 (2) with section 5 (2) of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act and Paragraph 4 of the First Schedule to the Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint ERASTUS EDUNG ETHEKON to be the Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission for a period of six (6) years,” the gazette read in part.
New commissioners
In a separate but concurrent notice—Gazette Notice No. 7725—President Ruto has also unveiled the names of six individuals appointed as Commissioners of the IEBC, each of whom will serve alongside the new Chairperson for the same six-year term.
“IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by Article 250 (2) as read with section 5 (2) of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act and Paragraph 4 of the First Schedule to the Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint—Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Atua Mukhwana, Mary Karen, Hasan Noor Hassan, Francis Odhiambo Aduol, Fahima Araphat Abdallah to be members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission for a period of six (6) years,” the gazette added.
The appointments come at a time when the IEBC has been under immense public scrutiny, following a season of political noise and questions around transparency and operational independence.
