High Court Blocks IEBC From Conducting Interviews for CEO Position
The orders, issued on Thursday, November 5, followed a petition filed by a Malindi resident challenging the transparency and legality of the commission’s recruitment process.
The court certified the matter as urgent and issued conservatory orders barring IEBC from proceeding with the planned interviews pending the hearing and determination of the petition.
He also claimed that the list of shortlisted candidates included foreign nationals, raising concerns about compliance with the legal requirement that the IEBC CEO must be a Kenyan citizen.
Petitioner challenges IEBC recruitment process
The petition places the commission’s recruitment procedures under scrutiny, particularly the criteria used to assess applicants and determine those eligible for interviews.
The development comes days after IEBC responded to concerns about foreign applicants, confirming that some non-Kenyan candidates had initially applied for the position.
However, the commission maintained that all foreign applicants were eliminated during the preliminary assessment after failing to meet the citizenship requirement.
In a statement, IEBC explained that it had verified applicants’ national identification documents, citizenship status and academic qualifications before preparing the final shortlist.
“Upon verification of national ID, citizenship and academic credentials, the final shortlist contains only Kenyan citizens. All foreign applicants were disqualified at the preliminary stage for not meeting the citizenship requirement,” the statement read.
IEBC had shortlisted nine candidates
On October 28, the commission published a list of nine candidates shortlisted for the CEO position.
The list comprised seven men and two women, with interviews initially scheduled for November 12 and 13, 2026.
IEBC indicated that the interview venue would be communicated individually to each shortlisted candidate.
However, the Malindi court’s orders have placed the planned interviews on hold as the legal challenge proceeds.
Separate petition challenges use of private consultancy
The latest court intervention came a day after another petition seeking to stop the recruitment process failed to secure urgent certification at the Milimani Law Courts.
The separate case was filed by National Liberal Party (NLP) leader Augustus Kyalo Muli, who challenged IEBC’s decision to involve a private consultancy firm in key stages of the recruitment exercise.
Muli argued that the IEBC Act assigns appointment responsibilities to the commission and that these powers should not be transferred wholesale to a private entity.
Justice Aburili questions urgency of separate case
In declining to certify Muli’s application as urgent, Lady Justice Grace Aburili noted that the recruitment process had been publicly known for some time and that the application period had already closed.
The judge also observed that the shortlisted candidates had been scheduled for interviews on November 12 and 13.
“I have perused the Petition and Notice of Motion dated November 3 filed under certificate of urgency. I observe that the application period closed on 11/8/2026 and candidates were longlisted and shortlisted. The shortlisted candidates are scheduled for 12th and 13th November 2026. I am not satisfied that the application is urgent, as the petitioner has had knowledge of the process being undertaken by the 1st Respondent and is in the public domain,” Justice Aburili stated.
The two cases present separate legal challenges to IEBC’s recruitment exercise. While the Milimani court declined to fast-track Muli’s application, the Malindi court issued temporary orders stopping the interviews.
ALSO READ: Azimio Announces New Leadership as Matiang’i and Orengo Take Council Roles
High Court Blocks IEBC From Conducting Interviews for CEO Position
