The tenure of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chair Wafula Chebukati, Commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye ends on Tuesday, January 17.
Chebukati and the two poll managers will join a growing list of former IEBC top officials who either quit the high-voltage commission or were hounded from office.
Prior to the 2017 polls, the agency was rocked by the murder of the then ICT Manager Chris Msando, dividing the agency right in the middle, with some commissioners later walking away.
So, where are these commissioners and top officials that wielded massive power at the Anniversary Towers-based Commission? What what are they up to?
Roselyne Akombe
She was on January 5, 2023, appointed as the new Chief of Peacebuilding Strategy and Partnerships at the United Nations.
UN's Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) noted that Akombe will monitor and assess global political developments.
Prior to her appointment, she served as the Regional Governance and Peacebuilding Coordinator at the UNDP Regional Service Center for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
She thereafter joined the IEBC ahead of the 2017 General Election.
Later on, she fled to the US amid death threats ahead of the 2017 presidential election re-run.
Ezra Chiloba
The former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at IEBC was appointed as the Director-General of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) in 2022 by the authority’s Board of Directors in a memo dated September 28, 2021.
Prior to his exit from the IEBC, Chiloba was suspended by IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati following procurement queries at the electoral commission which he challenged in court.
Consolata Nkatha Bucha
She served as the Vice-Chairperson of the commission and did oversee the 2017 general elections.
Nkatha resigned on April 2018 stating that they had no confidence in Wafula Chebukati.
"For too long and way too many times, the commission chair has failed to be the steady and stable hand that steers the ship in difficult times, and gives directions when needed," part of the resignation statement read.
However, on October 2020, former President Uhuru Kenyatta nominated her to be the Deputy Head of Mission in Rome.
Paul Kibiwott Kurgat
He is the former ambassador to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
He served as the IEBC Commissioner together with Akombe and Mwachanya.
He would later resign together with Nkatha and Mwachanya in a joint resignation letter.
Kurgat is currently a Senior Lecturer of Diplomatic History & International Relations at Moi University.
Margaret Wanjala Mwachanya
She holds a Master's degree in Swahili studies from the University of Nairobi, having earned a bachelor’s degree in Kiswahili from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
She had been serving on the public service board of Taita-Taveta County and previously taught Kiswahili in various schools around the country.
Mwachanya is currently the Deputy Head of Mission at the Islamabad High Commission.
James Muhati
He served as the IEBC ICT Director before his resignation in 2020.
He was sent on compulsory leave for his failure to cooperate with an audit at the poll agency.
Later, he would be appointed as Huduma Kenya's chief executive, a position that placed him at the centre of the August 2022 polls.
Muhati is currently the Economic Planning Principal Secretary, after being appointed by President William Ruto.
Immaculate Kassait
Prior to joining the electoral commission she served as programme manager at the Institute for Education in Democracy.
She is a former Director for Voter education, partnerships and communication at the IEBC.
Kassait would later on be appointed as the Data Commissioner a position she holds to date.
She is Kenya’s first Data Commissioner, serving for a non-renewable tenure of 6 years.
