President William Ruto has nominated Mary Wanyonyi, the spouse of former Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Wafula Chebukati for appointment as the Chairperson of the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA).
The Public Service Commission (PSC) shortlisted three individuals, and President Ruto selected Wanyonyi from the list.
If approved by Parliament, Wanyonyi will subsequently fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Jane Kiringai, who had served a full 6-year term at the helm of the CRA.
Prior to the nomination, she was the Senior Deputy Accountant General and Head of the Accounting Unit at the Lands Ministry where she has served since January 2019.
She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Commerce with a bias in Accounting.
Observers will see the nomination as a reward to Chebukati for the role he played in the August 2022 presidential election in which the former regime was keen on denying President Ruto victory.
Chebukati publicly announced that he had been under pressure to declare Opposition leader Raila Odinga the winner despite having been defeated by Ruto.
He said he stood his ground and declared Ruto the winner of the election, effectively succeeding his boss Uhuru Kenyatta.
Four electoral commissioners disowned the election results leading to their dismissal from the commission.
A petition filed by Odinga at the Supreme Court upheld Chebukati’s verdict leaving an egg on the face of the four commissioners and several top government officials who had gone all-out to try to stop Ruto’s presidency.
“I laud the courage in Chebukati who stood his ground to ensure the will of the people carried the day despite threats to his life and intimidation,” Ruto said soon after the polls.
