Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chief Executive Officer Marjan Hussein Marjan has resigned following a crisis meeting with commissioners that questioned his integrity, procurement decisions and continued stay in office.

The resignation followed opposition pressure last week Friday and a plenary decision by the commission to mutually separate with Marjan, according to sources briefed on the meeting.

Commissioners confronted Marjan over an audit report by the Auditor-General that raised governance concerns linked to procurement and employment, including payments to advocates and the handling of election technology, the sources said.

“Don’t you think your stay is not sustainable given that the entire commission has lost confidence in you?” one commissioner asked during the meeting, according to the sources.

The audit flagged about 40 per cent of funds paid to advocates, amounting to hundreds of millions of shillings, as irregular, commissioners said, adding that Marjan had approved procurement processes without the required sanction.

Commissioners also questioned Marjan over the extension of the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) kits contract.

They said a two-year extension approved in 2024 to expire at the end of 2026 was signed unilaterally by the CEO when commissioners were not in office.

Under IEBC’s standard operating procedures, all purchases of strategic election materials must receive approval from commissioners, not only the CEO, they said.

Strategic materials include ballot papers, voter registration kits, ballot boxes and box seals.

In November 2025, after new commissioners took office, Marjan attempted to extend the framework agreement to allow the purchase of new equipment but commissioners rejected the move, the sources said.

Marjan was asked why he remained in office after tendering his resignation last week, Frida,y and whether he was negotiating an exit package within 14 days, the sources added.

He was appointed CEO on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, after emerging at the top of a shortlist of five candidates.

Before confirmation, he served in an acting capacity for nearly five years following the exit of former CEO Ezra Chiloba in 2017.

Marjan oversaw one general election in his substantive role, the 2022 Kenyan general election, and managed several electoral preparations while acting CEO.

He joined IEBC in March 2015 as Deputy Commission Secretary in charge of Support Services. Before IEBC, he worked at Telkom Kenya for more than two decades, including as Head of Internal Audit, Investigation and Quality.