The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has explained why foreign nationals appeared on the list of 304 applicants for the Commission Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position, saying only Kenyan citizens qualified for shortlisting.
In a statement, the Commission said foreign nationals who submitted applications were disqualified at the preliminary stage because Kenyan citizenship was a mandatory requirement for the position.
“Upon verification of national ID, citizenship and academic credentials, the final shortlist contains ONLY Kenyan citizens. All foreign applicants were disqualified at the preliminary stage for not meeting the citizenship requirement,” IEBC said.
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The electoral agency noted that publishing the names of all applicants was in line with constitutional requirements on transparency, access to information and fair competition in public service recruitment.
“In compliance with Article 35 and Article 232 of the Constitution on transparency and fair competition, the Commission published the full list of all the 304 applicants,” the Commission said.
IEBC said the vacancy had been advertised through newspapers, its website and social media platforms, meaning it could not control who submitted applications.
“Any person can apply, but not everyone qualifies,” the Commission said, adding that receiving applications from foreign nationals was normal for an openly advertised position and did not constitute an anomaly.
The Commission contracted KPMG Kenya to manage the recruitment process, including advertisement, receipt of applications, longlisting, verification and shortlisting.
Besides Kenyan citizenship, applicants for the Commission Secretary position were required to hold a degree recognised in Kenya, have at least five years of senior management experience and meet integrity requirements under Chapter Six of the Constitution and the IEBC Act.
The Commission urged Kenyans to disregard attempts to politicise the recruitment process, maintaining that the recruitment exercise followed the stated requirements.
The clarification follows questions over the inclusion of foreign nationals in the published list of applicants for the senior electoral agency position.