Charles Nyachae, the chairperson of the Council of the Kenya School of Government and a candidate for the position of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson, has revealed the reasons behind his resignation from the East African Court of Justice (EACJ).
Speaking before the Selection Panel responsible for recruiting nominees for the IEBC chairperson and commissioners, Nyachae stated that his decision to quit was driven by his desire to be fair to the people of the East African Community (EAC). He explained that the court had been struggling with severe financial constraints, which rendered it nearly dysfunctional.
Nyachae pointed out that due to the financial challenges, court sessions were frequently canceled, making it difficult for the institution to effectively execute its mandate. He revealed that throughout 2023, the court failed to operate as expected, leading him to question his continued stay in the position while earning a monthly salary of $2,000 (approximately Ksh 280,000) for work that was not being done.
“As each session was approached, it was canceled because of financial issues. When this happened practically in the whole of 2023, I said to myself, I am not being fair to the people of East Africa since all this time, every month, I earned US$2,000 for doing nothing,” Nyachae stated.
The selection panel’s chair, Nelson Makanda, questioned whether Nyachae’s decision to resign from a judicial position, which is less demanding than the IEBC chairperson role, indicated a likelihood of him resigning from the electoral body if appointed.
In response, Nyachae clarified that his resignation was a well-thought-out decision based on the specific challenges at the EACJ. He reassured the panel that he did not anticipate similar financial constraints crippling the IEBC, as he believed any budget cuts would only affect certain aspects of the commission’s work rather than bring it to a halt.
Nyachae is among 11 candidates shortlisted to replace the late IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati. Other candidates include former Judiciary Chief Registrar Anne Amadi, Abdulqadir Lorot Ramadhan, Joy Mdivo, and Edward Katama Ngeywa, among others.
