By The Weekly Vision Reporter
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has invited qualified Kenyans to apply for the position of Commission Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CS/CEO), a pivotal role responsible for the day-to-day administration and operational leadership of Kenya’s electoral body.
The advertisement, published on 28th July 2026, comes at a critical juncture as the Commission intensifies preparations for the 2027 General Election. It follows the resignation of the previous holder, Marjan Hussein Marjan, on 3rd February 2026, after which Moses Ledama Sunkuli was appointed Acting Commission Secretary and CEO two days later. Marjan’s departure, described by the Commission as a mutual agreement to terminate his services, ended a tenure that began in an acting capacity in September 2017, following the acrimonious exit of his predecessor, Ezra Chiloba, and was confirmed in a substantive role on 8th March 2022.
His nearly four years as substantive CEO were not without controversy. He oversaw the 2022 General Election and steered the Secretariat through a prolonged period without a fully constituted Commission, a gap that persisted until commissioners were sworn in and the Commission became fully constituted on 11th July 2025. In the weeks before his exit, Marjan came under mounting pressure, including a public call for his resignation from former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia, who argued that his extended stay in office had begun to affect his performance.
His resignation followed a crisis meeting at which commissioners reportedly questioned his integrity, procurement decisions and continued tenure, after an Auditor-General’s report raised governance concerns linked to procurement, staffing and the handling of election technology.
The timing of the recruitment for this critical post reflects the Commission’s determination to install a permanent, substantive leader well ahead of the 2027 elections. With the IEBC now fully reconstituted under Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon and a new team of commissioners in place since July 2025, attention has shifted to strengthening the Secretariat, the administrative arm responsible for the Commission’s day-to-day operations.
Announcing the changes, Ethekon said the reforms within the Secretariat were “part of critical reforms aimed at strengthening institutional preparedness, internal accountability, and results-oriented systems,” adding that the Secretariat is central to delivering credible, free and fair elections.
Recruiting a substantive CS/CEO will allow the Commission to press ahead with institutional reforms, tighten internal accountability, improve procurement and logistical processes, including management of the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS), and strengthen preparedness for voter registration, boundary reviews and election-day operations.
The new appointee will operate under a markedly different institutional framework from the one Marjan inherited. With a fully constituted Commission now providing clearer strategic direction and oversight, the incoming CEO is expected to benefit from stronger accountability structures than those that characterised the post-2022 vacuum, when the Secretariat effectively ran affairs in the absence of substantive commissioners.
The recruitment notice places heavy emphasis on professionalism, integrity under Chapter Six of the Constitution, and demonstrated expertise in electoral matters, governance and public administration, requirements that speak directly to the governance lapses flagged in Marjan’s final months.
Under the terms advertised, applicants must be Kenyan citizens holding a degree from a recognised university, with at least five years of proven management experience and demonstrated expertise in at least one of the following fields: electoral matters, management, finance, governance, public administration, law or political science.
The successful candidate will serve on a four-year contract, renewable once for a further four years subject to satisfactory performance, providing the kind of structured leadership continuity the Commission has struggled to maintain in recent years. The incoming CEO will be expected to deliver measurable improvements in operational efficiency, stakeholder confidence and the seamless execution of electoral processes.
The IEBC has said it is an equal-opportunity employer and has encouraged women, youth, persons with disabilities, and marginalised and minority communities to apply, in line with constitutional principles of inclusivity. The Commission has also warned that any form of canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification.
Applications must be submitted by 5.00 p.m. on 11th August 2026 to executiverecruitment@kpmg.co.ke, quoting “Commission Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CS/CEO)” in the subject line, with the recruitment process being managed externally by KPMG. Shortlisted candidates will undergo a rigorous vetting process, including the presentation of original academic credentials and professional certificates, alongside clearances from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and a registered credit reference bureau.
