Nyachae: I quit from regional court over 'unfair' Sh258,000 salary

Charles Nyachae told the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection panel he resigned as a judge of the East African Court of Justice due to dysfunction and financial challenges within the East African Community.

Appearing before the panel at the College of Insurance in Nairobi’s South C estate on Monday, March 24,  Nyachae said he quit in January 2024, two years before completing his seven-year term.

“I was appointed in February 2018 and served for five and a half years. However, I felt I was not adding value by remaining in a court that was hardly operating,” said Nyachae.

He explained that the court operates on an ad hoc basis, meaning it is not full-time, and that the East African Community has struggled financially to the point of near dysfunction.

“I was earning $2,000 (Sh258,000) monthly for doing nothing. I thought long and hard and told myself I was not being fair to the East African Community,” noted Nyachae.

“I reached out to the appointing authority, and said this is not working.”

Nyachae, a former chairman of the defunct Constitutional Implementation Committee (CIC), was nominated to the regional court by former President Uhuru Kenyatta after failing to secure a position in the East Africa Legislative Assembly.

He was among Kenyatta’s allies who campaigned for the Jubilee Party in Kisii County and later vied for the Kisii Senate seat but lost.

Nyachae said he returned to Kenya for private engagements and was later appointed to chair the council of the Kenya School of Government.

 He stated that if selected as IEBC chairperson, he would relinquish the position.

The selection panel, chaired by Nelson Makanda, is conducting interviews for the IEBC chairperson position before moving to six vacant commissioner positions.

 The commissioner interviews will begin on Thursday, March 28, and run until April 24.

A total of 105 candidates, including 32 women, have been shortlisted for the positions.