Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has welcomed the formation of the new Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The seven-member team was sworn in on Friday, July 11, in the presence of Chief Justice Martha Koome.
Addressing a group of Kenyans in Seattle, Washington, D.C., Gachagua said the reconstitution of the electoral commission came at an opportune time for the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) to try out its muscles in the local political scene, just two months after it was unveiled.
The first test, Gachagua said, would be the participation of his party in the oncoming by-elections.
"They have sworn in the IEBC. We have commissioners in place, and we are going to have by-elections, and that is our first test to face off with President William Ruto. I want him to respect us," Gachagua said.
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This came after the DCP party invited aspirants eyeing the outfit's tickets to register their bids.
In a notice on Friday, July 11, the party invited the hopefuls for elective posts to register and submit the set dues before primaries.
Meanwhile, the IEBC team was sworn in a day after the High Court in Nairobi threw out a petition filed to challenge their appointments.
A three-judge bench ruled that the IEBC selection panel undertook the recruitment in line with the requirements of the law and the constitution.
The bench directed the president to re-gazette the appointments before the swearing-in of the team.
The new IEBC will be stewarded by Erastus Edung Ethekon.
Other commissioners are Fahima Araphat Abdallah (vice chairperson), Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, and Francis Odhiambo Aduol.
