Nairobi, Kenya – National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula issued a directive on May 30, ordering lawmakers to immediately resume the vetting process for nominees to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). This move comes despite recent court injunctions that had sought to halt the proceedings.

Assertion of Parliamentary Supremacy

The High Court had previously issued orders temporarily halting the vetting process, citing legal challenges to the nomination procedure. However, Speaker Wetang’ula robustly insisted that Parliament’s constitutional mandate to vet and approve such nominees cannot be obstructed by judicial orders. “Nobody has the power under any law to injunct Parliament from doing its work,” he declared firmly during a plenary session. Consequently, Wetang’ula directed the relevant parliamentary committee to “proceed without haste” with the vetting and subsequent parliamentary approval of the new IEBC chairman and commissioners. He strongly criticized what he termed as undue judicial interference in a matter he considers a purely legislative duty, asserting that the vetting exercise must continue as originally planned.

Implications for IEBC Appointments

This ruling effectively clears the path for the National Assembly to finalize the critical IEBC appointments. Members of Parliament had already approved the nominees at the committee stage before the court interventions. Following this directive, the IEBC chairman-designate and the nominated commissioners will now undergo public vetting by the full house, after which Parliament will submit their names to the President for formal appointment and gazettement, a crucial step towards constituting the electoral body ahead of future elections.