Kenya: Majority of Kenyans Unable to Name IEBC Chair Candidates, Tifa Poll Shows

Nairobi — Former Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Anne Amadi has emerged as the most popular candidate among those interviewed for the position of Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Among the 2,024 Kenyans surveyed, 30 percent said they were most aware of Amadi's candidacy for the IEBC chairperson role, followed by Charles Nyachae at 11 percent, with almost no respondents able to name the other two candidates.

61 percent of respondents could not name any of the 11 candidates who had been shortlisted and interviewed for the post.

"Surprisingly, perhaps, her popularity among females is only slightly higher than among males (42 percent vs. 40 percent), though Nyachae's popularity is somewhat higher among males than females (26 percent vs. 20 percent)," the survey stated.

The poll firm, led by Maggie Ireri, reported that Amadi scored highly across all regions of the country, with her highest ratings in Nairobi and Nyanza (her home region).

Nyachae was rated highly on qualifications, receiving a score of 56 percent.

Amadi, however, was the only one of the four candidates who earned the most credit for two specific criteria: gender preference (for a woman) at 21 percent, and her community-regional origins at 7 percent.

Younger respondents aged 18 to 34 were more inclined to support Amadi (44 percent), while older respondents aged 35 and above showed a slightly stronger preference for Nyachae (35 percent).

This comes a day after President William Ruto received the final report on the recruitment of the next Chairperson and Members of the IEBC.

The panel, chaired by Dr. Nelson Makanda, concluded its month-long interview process on April 25, 2025.

The process began on March 24, with interviews for the Chairperson position conducted between March 24 and 26.

Interviews for Commission Members took place from March 27 to April 25.

Of the 111 individuals shortlisted for the Member positions, 107 were interviewed, as four candidates withdrew for personal reasons.

Read the original article on Capital FM.