Kenya’s President William Ruto has approved the swearing-in of a new group of top electoral officials, including a chairperson and six commissioners, who will serve for six years.
The officials took their oaths at a ceremony overseen by Chief Justice Martha Koome, with Chairperson Erastus Ethekon, a human rights lawyer, promising to prioritize the voices of Kenyans in the electoral process.
Ethekon, who previously worked as Turkana County’s top legal adviser and with the United Nations Development Programme, emphasized his loyalty to the people of Kenya and assured that their voices would be heard and count during the coming elections.
The appointment comes ahead of the 2027 general election, with Ruto facing pressure from street protests led by young people dissatisfied with high living costs, corruption, and police brutality.
The speedy appointment of electoral officials was one of the rallying cries during protests last year, and the new officials will play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of the electoral process in Kenya’s upcoming polls.
Ruto suspended four election commissioners in December 2022 after they rejected his victory in the presidential election, but the Supreme Court later upheld his win.
