Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Erastus Ethekon/SCREENGRAB
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Erastus Ethekon has said he willingly took on the commission’s “hot seat”, despite the intense pressure and scrutiny associated with managing elections.
Ethekon said he accepted the position because he believes Kenya has the people and institutions needed to deliver peaceful, credible and fair elections.
“So, for me I said, if we can do it all over the world, why can't we do it in our country,” Ethekon said.
He was speaking during a national election security roundtable consultative forum organised by the electoral agency.
The meeting brought together key institutions involved in the management of elections and the flow of information. It was attended by representatives of the Media Council of Kenya, the Communications Authority of Kenya and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, among other stakeholders.
Ethekon said the responsibility of delivering elections cannot be left to IEBC alone.
He said the commission’s independence did not mean it operated in isolation from other institutions and stakeholders.
“Independence does not mean you are operating in an island somewhere; you are operating in a country which has different diverse shareholders,” Ethekon said.
He said he accepted the IEBC chairperson’s position knowing he would have the support of other institutions and Kenyans.
“This is why, for me, since I took over, I took this job in the first place knowing that I will not be alone,” he said.
Ethekon said he was confident in Kenyans’ ability to contribute to credible elections, describing them as resilient and bright.
“One thing I love about Kenyans, we are very resilient people, and we are very bright,” he said.
He also said Kenyans had played a role in election, peace and conflict management forums internationally. He said this gave him confidence to take up the demanding role at the electoral agency.
“I said I will go for the hot seat. I will take it because I believe we have what it takes; we have the people, we have institutions that will ensure we deliver a peaceful, credible and fair election in our republic,” he said.
Ethekon became IEBC chairperson after taking the oath of office on July 11, 2025, following his nomination by President William Ruto and approval by the National Assembly.
He said the growing cooperation among stakeholders had given him confidence that teams involved in the election process were developing plans for the 2027 polls.
