Chief Justice Martha Koome urges new IEBC commissioners to 'fix what’s broken, earn public trust'

Chief Justice Martha Koome. (Photo: Martha Koome/ X)

By Maureen Kinyanjui
Friday, July 11, 2025

Chief Justice Martha Koome has called on the newly sworn-in IEBC commissioners to urgently rebuild public trust and deliver credible elections, warning that the stakes for Kenya’s democracy have never been higher.

Speaking after the swearing-in of Chairperson Erastus Edung Ekethon and six other commissioners at the Supreme Court Buildings on Friday, Koome said their role goes beyond managing elections—it is about protecting the very foundation of the nation.

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She said the oath taken was not just a legal formality, but a powerful symbol of the trust Kenyans had placed in them.

“In you now recites the solemn responsibility to safeguard one of the most sacred rights in our Constitution, the right of every Kenyan to participate in free, fair and credible elections,” said Koome.

The Chief Justice reminded the commissioners that their appointment comes when Kenyans, particularly young people, are expressing frustration with public institutions. She said the nation is in a period of reckoning, and public service must now be driven by transparency, humility, and a deep respect for constitutional values.

“The cry from every corner of our nation is for integrity, transparency, accountability and justice,” she noted.

Koome urged the IEBC to confront and fix what is not working within the institution.

“Whatever you find not working and serving Kenyans properly at the IEBC, you must confront it, and you must fix it. This is why you have been given the mandate,” she said.

She also warned that disputed elections and past cycles of violence had left painful scars in the country, making electoral credibility a matter of national security.

“Elections are not just political events. They are national security,” Koome said, calling on the commission to think about the economy and human rights behind every vote cast.

Referring to the IEBC’s independence, she urged the commissioners to resist interference of any kind and to stay true to the Constitution.

“May the first prefix of your name, Independent, always sound a clear tone… especially if anybody or any institution attempts to interfere with your decision making,” she said.

Koome acknowledged that the recruitment process was long and difficult, but said it was now time for the commission to act swiftly.

“Now that the commission has been reconstituted, you must move with speed to undertake the critical constitutional and administrative functions that have remained in abeyance,” she said, urging the team to begin preparations for the 2027 general elections without delay.

The IEBC team, comprising Ekethon, Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, Francis Odhiambo Aduol, and Fahima Araphat Abdallah, was formally appointed through fresh Gazette Notices issued by President William Ruto on July 10. This followed a High Court ruling that annulled previous notices due to procedural flaws but upheld the appointments themselves.