The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has confirmed the exit of its Chief Executive Officer and Commission Secretary, Marjan Hussein Marjan.
In a statement on Tuesday, February 3, IEBC clarified that the exit was not abrupt but a mutually agreed decision, and that the process of finding his successor has already begun.
"The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), today, announces the formal exit of its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Commission Secretary (CS), Mr. Marjan Hussein Marjan, after reaching an agreement to terminate his services by mutual consent. This, in effect, brings to an end his tenure in IEBC and marks the beginning of the process of recruitment of a new CEO and Secretary to the Commission," the statement read.
IEBC assured the public that an acting official will be appointed to keep operations running smoothly and to avoid disruptions in duties such as elections and boundary delimitation.
"The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission will announce an interim replacement who will take over as Acting CEO/ CS in due course. This is in line with our commitment and resolve to ensure we have a seamless transition designed to maintain momentum in carrying forward the IEBC constitutional mandates, including conducting elections and boundaries delimitation, among other important functions," the statement added.
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IEBC also linked Marjan’s departure to a restructuring effort within the Secretariat aimed at improving efficiency, accountability, and institutional readiness.
"As the current CEO/CS exits, we embark on critical reforms within the Secretariat. We wish to assure Kenyans that any changes will be designed to ensure we achieve effective institutional preparedness, strengthen our internal accountability and results-oriented systems, and leadership continuity.
"The IEBC Secretariat is very crucial in service delivery on electoral management and related matters, and it is the intention of the Commission that it has to reflect the level of preparedness, passion, and commitment to delivering credible, free, and fair elections in Kenya," the statement continued.
Notably, IEBC acknowledged Marjan’s contribution, especially during a period when the Commission operated without fully constituted commissioners, crediting him with steering the Secretariat through the phase.
"The Commission takes this opportunity to appreciate the work of Mr. Marjan, who was a committed servant and offered his professional services and leadership to lEBC since March 2022, when he was appointed as CEO/CS.
"We particularly thank him for steering the Commission Secretariat during the period of absence of the Commissioners until the current Commission was fully constituted on 11th July 2025. The Commission wishes the former CEO/CS well in his future endeavors," the statement further read.
IEBC reassured that ongoing electoral activities will not be affected by the leadership transition, particularly by-elections and early preparations for the 2027 General Election.
"Finally, the Commission assures the people of Kenya and stakeholders that the changes within its Secretariat and management arrangements will not affect our ongoing activities, including the conduct of the by-elections and preparedness for the 2027 General Elections.
"Instead, we believe the changes are meant to enhance effectiveness, efficiency, transparency, and accountability of the Secretariat in service delivery to the people of Kenya," the statement concluded.
Elsewhere, this comes a week after IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon announced that the commission cannot increase the number of constituencies during the boundary review process.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, January 27, Ethekon explained that the Constitution of Kenya sets a fixed cap of 290 constituencies.
He noted that IEBC has no authority to either increase or reduce the number of constituencies.
"We wish to inform the public that the constitution under Article 89 places a cap on the number of constituencies. Currently, Kenya has 290 constituencies, and that number, even if the commission were to conclude the boundary review ahead of the 2027 general election, we cannot increase these constituencies beyond 290, nor can we reduce them below 290," he explained.
Ethekon noted that the commission’s mandate is limited to reviewing the names of constituencies and adjusting their boundaries.
"What any boundary review process looks at is the review of constituency names and boundaries. We can change boundaries to ensure that constituencies with smaller populations can accommodate population pressure from constituencies with much larger populations," he stated.
On Wards, Ethekon said the Constitution grants the commission the mandate to determine the number of wards, but noted that the County Governments Act contradicts the Constitution by capping the number of wards at 1,450.
"For Wards, there is a contradiction currently, the constitution gives the commission mandate to determine the number of wards, their names and their boundaries, and it has not placed any cap, but the county governments act has capped wards at 1,450," he said.
Further, the IEBC Chairperson said the commission has opted for a phased boundary review process.
He argued that undertaking full delimitation along with other obligations will create operational bottlenecks and may compromise preparedness for the 2027 general election.
"The commission has decided to undertake limited and phased activities towards electoral boundaries reviews without compromising the quality and level of preparedness of the upcoming general election," he announced.
