Kenya swore in a new elections chair and six commissioners on Friday, ending a 19-month vacancy at the top of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and answering a key demand of anti-government protesters.
Chief Justice Martha Koome administered the oaths just hours after President William Ruto signed off on the appointments. “You assume office when many Kenyans—especially the youth—are voicing deep frustration with public institutions,” Koome told the officials at the televised ceremony. “Your task is to restore trust.”
The six-year panel will be led by human-rights lawyer Erastus Ethekon, a former legal adviser to Turkana County who has worked with the United Nations. “My first and foremost loyalty is to the people of Kenya,” Ethekon said. “Their voices will not only be heard; they will count.”
Although the next national vote is slated for 2027, Ruto faces mounting street protests over living costs, corruption and police violence. Demonstrators last year demanded the IEBC be reconstituted after Ruto suspended four commissioners who had rejected his 2022 victory—a dispute the Supreme Court later settled in his favour.
Legal challenges had stalled the recruitment process until the High Court dismissed the last petitions on Thursday, clearing the way for Friday’s swearing-in.